^711.73 
C432W 
cop.  2 


m 


Address  by  Charles  E. Wacker| 
at  a  Meeting  of  the  Chicago 
Plan  Conunission. 


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in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign 


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P353 

S  711 . 73 

k432w 

cop.  2 


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ADDRESS 

by 

CHARLES  H,  WACKER 

at  a  Meeting  of  the  Cmcago  Plan 

Commission,  held  at  the 

Hotel  Sherman  on 

November  4» 

1926. 

THE  y  '  '^' 

DkC  3  1 1976 


•ss<n5t 


ILLIK08S  hi^lORkLAL  5UkvEY 


ADDRESS 

by 

CHARLES  H.  WACKER 

at  a  Meeting  of  the  Chicago  Plan 

Commission,  held  at  the 

Hotel  Sherman  on 

November  4, 

1926. 

Die  3  1  1926 


If 


/ 1 1.  I  -? 
ADDRESS  by  CHARLES  H.  WACKER 

at  a  Meeting  of  the  Chicago  Plan  Commission 

Held  at  the  Hotel  Sherman  on 

November  4,  1926 


Gentlemen  of  the 

Chicago  Plan  Commission: 

In  resigning  as  chairman  of  the  Chi- 
cago Plan  Commission — a  post  which  I 
have  had  the  honor  of  holding  since  the 
Commission  was  organized  in  1909—1 
feel  I  should  review  the  work  on  the 
Chicago  Plan  from  its  beginning  until 
the  present.  In  doing  so  I  shall  address 
myself  particularly  to  the  members  who 
have  become  associated  with  us  recently. 

It  is  indeed  a  matter  of  much  gratifi- 
cation to  me  that  Mayor  Dever  has 
appointed  so  splendid  a  body  of  young 
men  to  membership,  for  it  is  they  who 
will  have  to  carry  on  the  work  after  we 
older  men  have  laid  it  down. 

In  pondering  over  the  events  of  the 
past,  certain  things  have  impressed  them- 
selves very  forcibly  upon  my  mind,  and 
I  think  it  appropriate  to  report  at  some 
length  upon  these  things  even  at  the  risk 
of  being  criticized  for  repeating  myself 
and  for  citing  many  quotations. 

There  are  salient  factors  in  producing 
and  promoting  a  city  plan  which  cannot 
be  repeated  too  often,  because  they  are 
fundamental.  When  in  retrospect  we 
consider  the  kaleidoscopic  changes  that 
have  taken  place  in  the  city  of  Chicago 
we  wonder  at  the  comprehensiveness  of 
the  Chicago  Plan  and  that  it  should  look 
so  far  into  the  future.  It  was  prepared 
by  Daniel  Hudson  Burnham  and  Edward 
H.  Bennett  and  a  technical  staff  of  the 
best  experts,  assisted  further  by  Jules 
Guerin,  Charles  Moore,  and  Walter  L. 
Fisher.     The  technicians  and  their  col- 


laborators worked  under  the  auspices  of 
The  Commercial  Club  of  Chicago,  an 
organization  composed  of  about  one  hun- 
dred of  Chicago's  most  practical  and  suc- 
cessful business  and  professional  men. 

In  an  article  on  "City  Planning  In- 
struction in  American  Colleges  and  Uni- 
versities," published  July,  1925,  in  CITY 
PLANNING,  the  official  organ  of  the 
American  City  Planning  Institute  and 
the  National  Conference  on  City  Plan- 
ning, Charles  W.  Eliot  2nd,  says: 

"There  is  no  college  of  city  planning 
in  America,  no  school  nor  special  place 
where  city  planning  is  the  only  subject 
of  study,  and  only  one  in  which  it  can 
be  made  a  major  subject.  As  yet  there 
is  no  separate  profession  of  city  planning. 
It  has  often  been  said  that  city  planning 
is  a  cooperative  undertaking  in  which  the 
architect,  business  man,  engineer,  land- 
scape architect,  lawyer,  politician,  real- 
tor, and  people  of  many  other  pursuits 
properly  have  a  part." 

He  closed  his  article  by  saying:  "The 
time  is  apparently  not  far  distant  when 
a  separate  school  devoted  primarily  to 
city  planning  will  be  needed.  Such  a 
school  would  best  be  at  one  of  the  larger 
universities  where  courses  in  specialized 
related  fields  are  available.  Indeed,  it 
should  be  through  a  cooperation  of  tech- 
nical schools  of  landscape  architecture, 
architectural  engineering,  law,  social  eco- 
nomics, etc.,  as  the  subject  itself  requires 
a  cooperation  of  these  and  many  more 
activities.  The  theory  and  technique  of 
city  planning  are  rapidly  developing,  and 
instruction  sufficient  for  active  technical 


work  in  the  field  will  soon  become  a 
recognized  public  need." 

I  am  in  full  accord  with  this  thought, 
except  that  I  believe  the  time  is  at  hand 
right  now  for  the  immediate  introduction 
of  such  schools  as  a  public  need. 

In  the  same  magazine  I  found  another 
article  with  which  I  was  so  much  im- 
pressed that  I  feel  called  upon  to  quote 
from  it  also.  The  title  of  this  paper  was 
"The  Philosophy  of  City  Planning,"  and 
it  was  written  by  the  Hon.  James  M. 
Curley,  Mayor  of  Boston,  who  said: 

"What  we  term  'City  Planning,'  is  the 
thought,  discussion,  and  study  which 
bring  a  knowledge  of  actual  conditions 
home  to  us  and  by  which  we  can  plan 
and  provide  for  the  changes,  transforma- 
tions, and  improvements  that  will  bring 
the  community  approximately  closer  to 
the  ideal.  It  has  taken  the  world  a  long 
time  to  learn  the  mere  rudiments  of  what 
constitutes  real  civilization,  and  to  un- 
derstand that  while  perfection  in  things 
human  is  an  irridescent  dream,  no  ap- 
proach to  that  ideal  can  be  made  as  long 
as  humanity  refuses  to  recognize  that 
the  spiritual  and  the  material  elements  of 
life  are  inseparable.  Man  does  not  live 
by  bread  alone.  Man  consists  of  body 
and  soul;  to  feed  the  body  and  starve 
the  soul  is  to  court  disaster;  the  nourish- 
ment of  both  is  necessary  to  a  full, 
rounded,  vigorous  life,  individual  and 
communal;  and  if  bread  be  the  food  of 
the  body,  beauty,  art,  the  intangible  and 
immaterial  things  of  life,  are  the  food  of 
the  soul;  and  the  strength,  happiness, 
and  contentment  of  the  soul  are  reflected 
in  the  vigor,  vitality,  and  efficiency  of 
the  body. 

"City  Planning  is  the  sanest  philosophy 
and  the  most  far-reaching  influence  in 
modern  municipal  life  and  government; 
it  is  a  rising  tide  of  wisdom  which  gives 
promise  of  overflowing  from  the  cities 
into  the  state  and  the  republic,  fertiliz- 
ing all  with  its  beneficent  results.  Its 
fundamental  principle,  lying  under  all 
its  healing  activities,  is  the  betterment 
of  humanity  by  the  betterment  of  its 
environment." 

Raymond  Unwin,  Chief  Architect  to 
the  British  Ministry  of  Health,  in  speak- 
ing on  "The  Art  of  City  Planning,"  in 
this  same  publication,  says: 


"City  Planning,  it  seems  to  me,  is  an 
activity  which  beyond  most  others  de- 
pends for  its  success  on  the  application 
of  the  faculty  of  imagination  to  the  prob- 
lems involved.  Before  we  can  safely  or 
fairly  leave  the  practical  people  to  add 
building  to  building,  street  to  street,  or 
to  devote  their  energies  to  perfecting  the 
processes  of  their  factory  or  the  organiza- 
tion of  their  business,  there  should  have 
been  a  vision  of  what  the  whole  city 
might  be,  and  a  design  or  plan  providing 
for  the  best  grouping  of  the  places  for 
work,  for  business,  for  living,  and  for 
play,  to  realize  that  vision.  With  the 
guidance  and  advice  of  the  practical  men, 
taking  full  advantage  of  their  knowledge 
and  experience,  the  men  of  artistic  tem- 
perament should  prepare  the  way,  giving 
expression  to  their  vision  in  a  compre- 
hensive design  capable  of  realizing  it 
upon  the  ground ;  and  moreover  doing  it 
in  such  a  way  that  the  order,  the  relation 
between  the  parts,  their  proportion  and 
grouping,  will  themselves  become  an  ex- 
pression of  the  life  of  the  community  in 
the  form  of  a  beautiful  city." 

Mr.  Unwin  continues,  "I  am  contend- 
ing for  the  recognition  of  the  practical 
importance  of  the  artistic  faculty  in 
human  life;  and  the  realization  that  city 
planning  is  not  only  a  science  but  is 
equally  an  art,  calling  for  the  exercise  of 
trained  imagination  and  the  creative 
faculty.  For  I  believe  that  only  in  this 
manner  can  the  city  be  planned  so  as  to 
become  a  beautiful  setting  for  our  civic 
life,  and  to  confer  upon  us  the  greatest 
benefits  of  communal  culture." 

From  sources  like  these,  and  from  our 
general  knowledge,  we  know  that  much 
progress  has  been  made  toward  recogniz- 
ing city  planning  as  a  science  and  an  art. 
In  the  United  States,  where  over  half  the 
people  live  in  cities,  it  has  now  come  to 
be  generally  perceived  that  city  planning 
is  a  vital  need  of  the  day,  and  it  is  inter- 
esting to  note  that  in  the  nation-wide 
practice  of  city  planning  the  most  ap- 
proved methods  of  today  are  similar  to 
those  which  we  have  followed  since  the 
beginning. 

How  was  it,  then,  when  we  started? 

We  were  pioneers,  trail  blazers  so  to 
speak,  with  a  very  unsympathetic  public 
which  considered  city  planning  only  a 
fad.   The  public  of  that  day  had  not  been 


educated  to  a  realization  of  the  manifold 
benefits  to  be  derived  from  a  practical, 
scientific,  and  comprehensive  city  plan 
which  provides  for  both  the  economic 
and  humanitarian  needs  of  the  city 
dweller.  Lincoln  once  said,  "Public  opin- 
ion is  everything;  with  it  nothing  can 
fail,  without  it  nothing  can  succeed."  We 
did  not  have  public  sentiment  with  us 
when  we  started. 

Therefore,  after  the  Chicago  Plan 
Commission  had  been  created  in  1909,  we 
soon  found  that  it  would  be  necessary  to 
launch  a  thorough  educational  campaign. 
To  that  end  we  organized  a  lecture 
bureau  in  1910,  and  afterwards  we  de- 
velop>ed  an  illustrated  lecture  which  we 
gave  free  of  charge.  It  might  be  inter- 
esting to  you  to  know  that  at  this  time 
we  drew  our  inspiration  and  examples 
from  European  cities,  often  expressing 
the  hope  that  the  time  would  come  when 
we  could  substitute  American  examples 
instead.  I  might  tell  you  that  today  our 
lecture  is  purely  American  without  a 
single  foreign  view  in  it. 

At  first  our  talks  were  listened  to 
coldly,  but  in  later  years  they  have  been 
received  with  enthusiasm  and  apprecia- 
tion, and  we  often  received  a  rising  vote 
of  thanks  for  the  message  we  brought. 

One  of  my  early  public  addresses  on 
the  Chicago  Plan  was  delivered  before 
the  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce  on 
June  8,  1910.  In  it,  among  other  things, 
I  said: 

"To  my  mind  this  is  one  of  the  most 
important  meetings  ever  held  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  Chicago  Plan,  because  an 
unqualified  endorsement  by  this  asso- 
ciation—the most  powerful  and  the  most 
influential  organization  Chicago  has  ever 
had — and  its  hearty  cooperation  in  carry- 
ing out  the  Plan  will  be  most  potent  fac- 
tors in  clothing  our  endeavors  with  suc- 
cess. This  work,  as  you  know,  has  the 
powerful  support  of  the  press,  and  I  trust 
that  we  shall  also  be  able  to  gain  the 
cordial  approval  and  active  assistance  of 
the  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce. 

"It  has  been  stated  at  different  times 
that  the  Plan  is  not  a  practical  one  and 
is  not  democratic  enough;  that  it  is  a 
visionary  plan  and  a  dream.  Gentlemen, 
don't  you  know  that  all  progressive  men 
have  some  time  or  other  been  dubbed 
'dreamers,'    and    that    all    monumental 


undertakings  have  been  called  dreams? 

"Have  the  pessimists  ever  accom- 
plished any  great  constructive  work?  Is 
it  a  sign  of  strength  to  doubt  your  own 
power  and  your  own  possibilities?  The 
optimist  is  the  man  who  pushes  ahead 
himself,  his  business,  and  his  community. 

"Four  years  have  been  devoted  to  the 
preparation  of  the  Plan  of  Chicago;  no 
money  has  been  stinted ;  the  best  expert 
talent  obtainable  has  been  at  work  upon 
it;  and  behind  this  plan,  giving  their 
time  and  thought,  stood  and  still  stand 
not  dreamers,  but  our  foremost  and  most 
successful  business  and  professional  men. 

"This  plan  is  not  presented  as  a  hard 
and  fast  plan,  but  more  as  a  suggestion 
of  the  possibilities  of  our  situation  to  be 
used  in  the  development  of  an  official 
plan  as  the  best  judgment  of  this  com- 
munity may  determine. 

"  'It  is  a  picture  plan,'  they  say.  Yes, 
it  is  a  'picture  plan' — just  such  a  picture 
as  the  Blackstone  Hotel  presents  in  com- 
parison with  the  Tremont  House  which 
was  good  and  sufficient  in  its  day;  a  pic- 
ture just  as  the  new  City  and  County 
Building  will  appear  as  compared  with 
former  ones;  a  picture  such  as  the  new 
Northwestern  Railroad  Station  will  ap- 
f>ear  compared  with  the  old  one — such  a 
picture  is  the  Plan  of  Chicago:  A  picture 
of  progress,  convenience,  symmetry,  and 
good  order. 

"We  have  had  artists  at  work  upon  the 
Plan  because  it  was  necessary  to  have 
their  expert  vision  and  assistance;  but 
the  'man  behind  the  gun,'  and  the  'power 
behind  the  throne,'  were  hard-headed 
business  men  whose  interests  are  bound 
up  with  the  industrial  and  commercial 
growth  of  the  city. 

"We  cannot  afford  to  grow  haphaz- 
ardly any  longer;  we  cannot  afford  to 
leave  it  to  land  owners  and  real  estate 
speculators  to  decide  for  us  how  and  in 
what  direction  our  city  is  to  grow.  Even 
though  no  plan  has  as  yet  been  adopted, 
the  good  effect  of  this  work  is  already 
apparent.  There  is  a  tacit  understanding 
that  no  public  work  of  any  kind  shall  be 
undertaken  without  reference  to  the  Chi- 
cago Plan  Commission.  We  want  to 
economize  in  our  expenditures;  we  want 
to  obtain  the  greatest  result  at  the  least 


possible  expense,  and  the  only  way  to  do 
it  is  by  the  adoption  of  a  plan. 

"Now  is  the  time  to  consider  and 
adopt  such  a  plan,  and  I  am  glad  it  was 
not  done  before,  because  if  we  are  dubbed 
'dreamers'  today  what  would  have  hap- 
pened to  any  man  who  dared  to  predict 
that  Chicago  would  within  a  very  short 
time  become  a  city  of  several  millions  of 
inhabitants;  and  what  would  they  not 
have  done  to  a  man  who  had  the  temerity 
to  propose  at  that  time  such  a  plan  for 
the  future  as  the  Plan  of  Chicago  is? 

"Don't  you  think  it  is  well  for  us  to 
look  around  and  see  what  others  are  do- 
ing? The  business  man  who  will  not  fol- 
low the  march  of  progress  and  who  thinks 
that  what  was  good  enough  yesterday 
will  also  be  good  enough  for  tomorrow, 
will  soon  be  left  behind  and  crowded  out. 

"History  has  taught  us  that  the  de- 
mand for  better  surroundings,  better 
utilities,  better  public  improvements, 
and  more  comfort,  will  follow  in  the  foot- 
steps of  increased  commercial  activity 
and  wealth.  This  is  not  a  plan  particu- 
larly for  the  rich  and  the  aristocratic; 
without  a  city  plan  they  can  get  beauty, 
comfort  and  health  in  their  homes  in  the 
city  and  in  the  country,  too.  This  plan 
is  primarily  for  the  benefit  of  those  who 
cannot  afford  to  leave  the  city  and  who 
cannot  afford  to  get  that  which  this  plan 
proposes  to  give  to  every  inhabitant  of 
the  city  of  Chicago,  be  he  rich  or  poor. 
We  do  not  want  a  cheap  plan.  The 
cheapest  is  not  the  best,  but  we  do  want 
an  economical  plan  for  an  adequate  de- 
velopment of  our  magnificent  home  city 

• 

"The  greatest  stumbling-block  in  the 
way  of  carrying  out  our  great  plans  for 
the  future  in  a  community  like  ours  is 
the  financial  question,  but  I  have  every 
faith  in  my  fellow  citizens  of  Chicago 
that  if  we  can  but  show  them  the  advan- 
tages of  this  plan,  they  will  not  only  per- 
mit us  to  put  it  through  but  they  will 
rise  and  demand  that  it  be  done  with  the 
least  possible  delay. 

"This  plan  will  concern  itself  with  the 
rearrangement  of  streets  and  arteries  of 
traffic  wherever  that  is  demanded  by 
intolerable  conditions  of  congestion  and 
inconvenience;  and  will  further  lay  down 
a  plan  for  the  growth  of  the  city — 
its  parks  and  boulevards — along  proper 
lines,  but  it  cannot  enter  into  adminis- 


trative functions  such  as  the  inaugura- 
tion of  hygienic  measures  for  the  amelio- 
ration of  the  living  conditions  of  our  peo- 
ple, which  should  be  left  to  experts  for 
study  and  recommendation  and  to  the 
proper  authorities  for  execution.  The 
minute  you  burden  the  Chicago  Plan 
with  all  sorts  of  desirable  and  undesir- 
able, tried  and  untried  ideas  foreign  to 
the  clear-cut  idea  herein  presented,  you 
will  endanger  its  final  adoption." 

I  closed  my  remarks  upon  this  occa- 
sion by  saying: 

"Delay  and  procrastination  always 
mark  the  beginning  of  the  end.  You 
believe  in  your  own  future  and  in  the 
future  of  your  own  city;  therefore,  prove 
it  by  joining  forces  with  those  who  pre- 
dict that  Chicago's  future  will  be  even 
greater  than  its  past;  that  this  city,  the 
capital  of  the  Middle  West  with  its  sixty 
million  people,  will,  ere  long,  step  for- 
ward into  the  place  for  which  nature  has 
destined  it;  namely,  the  largest,  the  most 
convenient,  the  most  healthful,  and  the 
most  beautiful  city  on  the  American 
continent." 

Well  do  I  remember  that  the  Gold 
Room  of  the  Congress  Hotel  was  filled 
with  listeners  who  were  attentive,  al- 
though my  talk  was  a  long  one  lasting 
over  two  hours;  but  I  also  remember 
very  well  that  I  sensed  a  feeling  which 
seemed  to  pervade  the  audience — a  feel- 
ing of  doubt  and  misgiving  whether  so 
large  and  comprehensive  a  plan  could 
ever  be  realized.  Personal  friends  ad- 
vised me  not  to  "hitch  my  wagon  to  a 
star,"  or  to  engage  in  work  which,  as 
they  thought,  was  without  any  prospect 
of  success.  I,  however,  felt  that  with 
the  Chicago  Plan  Commission — the  most 
truly  representative  body  of  citizens  ever 
appointed  here,  including  in  its  mem- 
bership men  from  every  part  of  the  city 
and  every  walk  of  life;  with  the  press 
and  the  municipal  authorities  cooper- 
ating so  magnificently;  and  with  a 
thoroughly  well  organized  promotional 
bureau  (although  always  with  limited 
means),  the  good  people  of  Chicago 
would  not  only  aid  us  in  our  efforts  but 
would  insist  that  the  improvements  in 
the  Chicago  Plan  be  consummated. 

I  recall  also  what  I  said  to  the  Chicago 
Plan  Commission  in  accepting  its  chair- 
manship on  November  4,  1909.    I  said  at 


that  time,  "Our  task  is  indeed  a  great 
and  difficult  one,  yet  not  at  all  so  seem- 
ingly hopeless  as  was  to  our  fathers  the 
problem  of  rebuilding  a  large  city  laid  in 
ashes  and  re-establishing  homes  and  for- 
tunes that  were  swept  away  over  night 
by  fire;  nor  is  it  so  difficult  a  task  as  our 
fathers  achieved  when  they  raised  the 
level  of  the  entire  city  approximately 
fourteen  feet  in  order  to  provide  drain- 
age." 

It  might  be  well  to  bring  to  the  people 
of  the  present  day  the  thoughts  that  ani- 
mated those  who  were  responsible  for 
formulating  the  Plan  of  Chicago  back  in 
1908.  To  this  end  I  shall  quote  from  an 
article  which  I  wrote  prior  to  the  first 
meeting  of  the  Plan  Commission: 

"When  in  ten,  twenty,  or  fifty  years 
Chicago  shall  stand  transformed  in  ac- 
cordance with  these  plans  into  one  of  the 
most  attractive  of  cities,  could  it  possess 
a  greater  moral  asset  for  future  genera- 
tions than  this  example  of  lofty  yet  prac- 
tical ideals  realized  through  the  far- 
sighted  wisdom,  the  unfaltering  courage, 
and  the  faith  of  its  citizens  which  made 
such  great  undertakings  possible?  Will 
not  this  example  of  civic  unity  and  civic 
enterprise  foster  in  Chicagoans  a  love  for 
their  birthplace  and  a  confidence  in  its 
possibilities  and  in  their  own  power  of 
achievement  which  could  be  aroused  in 
no  other  way?  Herein  lies,  perhaps,  the 
most  imperishable  asset  created  by  the 
Plan  of  Chicago." 

In  looking  back  over  the  forces  which 
brought  about  the  creation  of  the  Plan 
of  Chicago,  we  find  that  in  1901  Mr. 
Franklin  MacVeagh  suggested  to  The 
Commercial  Club  of  Chicago  the  advis- 
ability of  making  a  comprehensive  plan 
for  building  the  Chicago  of  the  future, 
and  we  find  that  the  club  appointed  a 
committee  to  consider  the  subject.  Little 
progress  was  made,  however,  until  1906, 
when  Charles  D.  Norton,  then  president 
of  The  Merchants  Club,  succeeded  in 
having  that  club  appoint  a  committee 
with  the  same  object  in  view. 

In  1907  The  Merchants  Club  united 
with  The  Commercial  Club  and  the  work 
thenceforth  was  carried  on  by  The  Com- 
mercial Club  and  was  financed  by  that 
organization  and  a  few  other  public- 
spirited   citizens,   not   members   of   the 

*  Deceased.  i 


club,  whose  names  are  mentioned  in  the 
Plan  of  Chicago  report. 

The  first  Commercial  Club  committee 
on  the  Plan  of  Chicago  was  composed  of 
Messrs.  Charles  D.  Norton,*  chairman; 
Charles  H.  Wacker,  vice-chairman; 
Frederic  A.  Delano,  secretary;  Walter  H. 
Wilson,  treasurer;  and  Edgar  A.  Ban- 
croft,* Adolphus  C.  Bartlett,*  William 
L.  Brown,  Daniel  H.  Burnham,*  Edward 
Butler,  Benjamin  Carpenter,  Clyde  M. 
Carr,*  Edward  F.  Carry,  Leslie  Carter,* 
William  J.  Chalmers,  Charles  H.  Con- 
over,*  Charles  G.  Dawes,  Thomas  E. 
Donnelley,  John  V.  Farwell,*  John  V. 
Farwell,  Jr.,  David  R.  Forgan,  James 
L.  Houghteling,  Charles  H.  Hulburd,* 
Charles  L.  Hutchinson,*  Chauncey  Keep, 
Rollin  A.  Keyes,*  Victor  F.  Lawson,* 
Franklin  MacVeagh,  Cyrus  H.  McCor- 
mick,  Harold  F.  McCormick,  John  J. 
Mitchell,  Joy  Morton,  Martin  A.  Ryer- 
son,  John  G.  Shedd,*  Albert  A.  Sprague,* 
Albert  A.  Sprague  II,  Homer  A.  Still- 
well,*  Charles  L.  Strobel,  Charles  H. 
Thome,  Frederick  W.  Upham.* 

The  remarkable  achievements  of  the 
Chicago  Plan  Commission  have  been 
recorded  in  detail  in  the  minutes  and 
annual  reports  of  the  Commission,  but 
not  the  manner  in  which  we  proceeded 
to  win  the  citizens  of  Chicago  to  the 
Plan.  Therefore,  in  order  to  complete 
the  records  it  seems  proper  to  set  forth 
herein  the  methods  used  by  the  Commis- 
sion for  the  purpose  of  gaining  public 
favor.  I  should  like  at  this  point  to  em- 
phasize that  we  have  been  operating 
from  the  start  on  the  basis  of  the  best 
methods  of  today. 

The  first  big  gun  to  be  fired  was  a  pub- 
lication entitled,  "Chicago's  Greatest 
Issue — An  Official  Plan,"  printed  in 
June,  1911.  One  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  thousand  copies  of  this  pamphlet 
were  distributed  broadcast  throughout 
the  city.  It  portrayed  what  Chicago 
had,  what  it  owed,  what  it  was  worth, 
what  it  was  gaining,  what  it  needed, 
and  what  it  should  do.  It  was  designed 
for  easy  reference  in  order  that  the  reader 
might  acquaint  himself  readily  with  the 
Plan  of  Chicago. 

This  booklet  sets  forth  in  strong  terms 
that  if  we  are  to  become  prosperous  we 
should  now  direct  our  attention  earnestly 
to  solving  the  many  perplexing  problems 


which  have  crowded  in  upon  us  seem- 
ingly all  at  once:  The  building  of  a  sub- 
way, the  construction  of  an  outer  harbor, 
the  realization  of  a  proper  housing  plan, 
and  the  development  of  the  city  as  a 
whole.  The  Plan  of  Chicago  aflfords  the 
solution  of  practically  all  of  these  things, 
and  the  Chicago  Plan  Commission — a 
patriotic,  non-political,  non-partisan, 
non-sectional,  and  non-sectarian  body  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty-eight  sound, 
hard-headed  business  and  professional 
men  drawn  from  all  classes  and  repre- 
senting all  interests — is  working  today 
to  benefit  all  the  people  of  Chicago  for 
generations  to  come. 

The  Greatest  Issue  booklet  contains  a 
map  (reproduced  from  the  Plan  of  Chi- 
cago), of  a  system  of  outer  roads  and 
highways  encircling  the  city  and  radi- 
ating from  it  and  connecting  the  vari- 
ous parts  of  Chicago  with  each  other, 
with  the  center  of  the  city,  and  with 
outlying  sections. 

When  I  showed  Fred  A.  Busse,  then 
Mayor  of  Chicago,  this  plan  for  the  de- 
velopment of  a  comprehensive  system  of 
highways  in  and  around  Chicago,  he  said 
to  me  that  if  all  the  money  which  had 
been  expended  upon  the  Plan  of  Chicago 
had  resulted  in  that  one  map  only,  it 
would  have  been  well  spent.  At  that 
time  ninety-five  per  cent  of  this  system 
of  exterior  highways  was  in  existence, 
and  it  needed  only  five  per  cent  more  to 
be  complete.  Now,  thanks  to  the  cooper- 
ation of  the  officials  of  Cook  County,  the 
remaining  links  in  this  outer  highway 
system  within  Cook  County  have  been 
approved  by  the  county  road  authorities 
and  will  be  improved  within  the  next 
year  or  two. 

We  had  an  outer  highway  committee 
in  the  early  days  of  the  Plan  Commis- 
sion, and  although  this  committee  was 
unable  to  secure  cooperation  then  from 
the  authorities  outside  Chicago  and 
Cook  County,  yet  today,  as  a  result  of 
our  years  of  educational  effort  directed 
toward  making  all  the .  people  of  the 
Chicago  region  understand  and  cooper- 
ate with  the  Chicago  Plan,  the  Chicago 
Regional  Planning  Association  finds  it 
less  difficult  than  it  would  otherwise 
have  been  to  obtain  the  cooperation 
of  the  officials  of  the  various  outlying 
communities. 


The  educational  effort  of  the  Plan 
Commission  has  comprised  every  form 
of  publicity,  including  articles  in  news- 
papers, magazines,  special  publications, 
trade  journals,  and  special  advertising 
used  by  some  of  the  largest  industrial 
and  commercial  concerns  of  the  city. 
There  have  also  been  pamphlets  of 
many  kinds  and  descriptions,  a  motion 
picture,  the  illustrated  lecture  already 
referred  to,  radio  talks,  and  a  school 
text  book  first  issued  in  1912  and  re- 
vised several  times  since.  This  text 
know  and  appreciate  municipal  prob- 
book  was  designed  for  the  dual  purpose, 
first,  of  training  our  future  citizens  to 
lems  and  the  solution  offered  in  the 
Plan  of  Chicago,  and  second,  of  reach- 
ing the  parents  through  the  children. 

The  school  text  has  been  of  material 
value  in  helping  to  establish  the  Plan  of 
Chicago  and  the  Chicago  Plan  Commis- 
sion in  the  public  mind.  When  I  en- 
gaged our  late  managing  director,  Mr. 
Walter  D.  Moody,  he  asked  me  what  was 
the  initial  thing  to  do,  and  I  replied, 
"Establish  the  Chicago  Plan."  Mr. 
Moody  conceived  the  idea  of  this  text 
book  and  prepared  the  material  it  con- 
tains— a  service  for  which  we  cannot 
give  him  too  much  credit.  The  steady 
coop>eration  which  we  have  had  from  the 
successive  Boards  of  Education,  the 
several  superintendents,  and  from  the 
teachers  who  have  taught  the  Plan 
Manual  in  the  eighth  grade  of  our 
schools  has  been  of  inestimable  value 
in  establishing  Plan  work  in  the  minds 
of  the  younger  generation. 

Our  next  publication  was  entitled 
"Gaining  Public  Support  for  a  City 
Planning  Movement."  It  was  a  reprint 
of  an  address  delivered  by  me  before  the 
Fifth  National  Conference  on  City  Plan- 
ning in  session  in  Chicago  in  May,  1913. 

A  fundamental  thought  in  this  address 
is  to  be  found  in  Henry  Drummond's 
declaration  that,  "To  make  cities  is  what 
we  are  here  for.  For  the  city  is  strategic ; 
it  makes  the  towns;  the  towns  make  the 
villages;  the  villages  make  the  country. 
He  who  makes  the  city  makes  the  world. 
After  all,  though  men  make  life,  it  is  the 
cities  which  make  men.  Whether  our 
national  life  is  great  or  mean,  whether 
our  social  virtues  are  mature  or  stunted, 
whether  our  sons  are  moral  or  vicious, 


whether  religion  is  possible  or  impossible, 
depends  upon  the  city." 

In  this  talk  I  maintained  that,  "The 
American  city  planner  is  a  pioneer  set 
down  in  a  very  complex  civilization.  He 
must  be  an  exhorter.  He  must  show  his 
fellow  citizens  that  city  planning  is  the 
greatest  issue  confronting  the  American 
people.  He  must  begin  with  an  appeal 
to  the  best  instincts  of  the  citizens  of  a 
city  and  win  them  to  his  standard  by 
sound,  logical,  and  intelligent  arguments. 
He  must  use  Europe's  civic  lessons,  and 
he  must  banish  pessimism." 

I  also  quoted  the  following,  which  I 
felt  to  be  particularly  appropriate: 

"An  individual  never  attains  any  very 
great  size,  mentally  or  morally,  except 
as  he  attaches  himself  to  a  great  idea; 
and  that  idea,  being  worthy,  grows  with 
him  until  the  stature  of  the  man  becomes 
equal  to  the  stature  of  the  idea  to  which 
he  has  attached  himself." 

I  asserted  at  this  time  that  "for  suc- 
cess in  sane  city  development  there  must 
be  no  room  for  doubt,  suspicion,  and 
unjust  criticism;  we  must  abhor  these 
negative  characteristics  of  citizenship 
which  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  appear 
whenever  progressive  efforts  for  public 
improvement  are  attempted." 

I  said  further  that  "the  health,  happi- 
ness and  general  prosperity  of  the  people 
are  of  far  greater  importance  than  the 
petty  whims  and  bickerings  of  any  class, 
or  the  selfishness  of  any  individuals;" 
and  I  proclaimed  public  spirit  to  be  a 
fundamental  necessity  for  success. 

I  stressed  the  fact  that  our  experience 
in  Chicago  had  given  us  the  strongest 
conviction  that  the  plan  of  a  city  must 
be  in  no  way  indefinite,  by  saying,  "Be- 
fore a  city  starts  to  create  good  order  in 
its  physical  arrangement,  its  people  must 
believe  that  their  plan  will  stand  every 
test  of  time  and  circumstance.  The 
entire  foundation  upon  which  the  super- 
structure will  rest  must  be  completed 
before  a  single  effort  is  made  to  secure 
public  support  for  the  city  plan." 

I  said  to  these  technical  people: 
"Minor  details  may  be  changed  in  the 
course  of  years  as  the  plan  is  worked 
out;  but  its  great,  basic,  underlying 
foundation  and  broad  framework  must 


be  created,  tested  and  proved  by  the 
physical  necessities  which  in  each  city 
must  be  determined  upon  as  local  con- 
ditions warrant. 

"Knowing  the  Plan  of  Chicago  to  be 
a  good  plan,  comprehensive  in  its  scope 
and  scientifically  worked  out,  we  had 
faith  to  get  behind  it.  That  faith  we 
officially  voiced  in  our  creed,  which  was 
adopted  February  13,  1913,  at  our  third 
annual  meeting,  and  which  reads: 

'We  are  to  make  the  Plan  of  Chicago 
our  ideal  and  keep  it  before  us — dare  to 
recognize  it — believe  in  it  and  build  for  it. 

'We  are  to  look  forward  to  the  time 
when  it  will  seem  as  extraordinary  not 
to  have  an  official  plan  toward  which 
to  direct  the  growth  of  the  city  as  it  now 
seems  that  Chicago  was  ever  permitted 
to  grow  in  an  orderless  and  formless 
manner. 

'We  are  to  establish  by  the  influence 
and  work  of  a  united  citizenry  the  power 
of  law  necessary  for  Chicago's  advance- 
ment, commensurate  with  its  greatness. 

'We  are  to  recognize  that  it  requires 
only  sufficient  community  patriotism  to 
substitute  order  for  disorder;  and  reason, 
common  sense,  and  action  for  negligence, 
indifference,  and  inertia.'  " 

I  told  this  audience,  "As  I  look  back 
over  our  years  of  activity,  I  see  very 
clearly  that  the  first  fundamental  is  to 
have  a  scientifically  correct  plan.  The 
next  thing  of  importance  is  to  educate 
the  people  through  a  proper  promotional 
effort. 

"We  soon  realized  that  promotion 
must  be  followed  by  object  lessons  so 
that  the  people  might  see  the  value  in 
improving  a  city,  not  only  in  the  way  of 
increased  property  values  and  improved 
facilities,  but  also  in  the  way  of  more 
attractive  and  healthful  surroundings." 

I  maintained  then  and  I  still  maintain 
that  "whenever  an  improvement  en- 
hances the  value  of  property  more  than 
it  costs,  then  it  is  a  good  business  invest- 
ment and  not  an  extravagance.  Greatly 
increased  property  values  have  followed 
every  Chicago  Plan  improvement,  and  if 
a  fair  and  equitable  assessment  is  made 
against  these  increases  the  city  can  de- 
rive a  much  greater  income  and  the 
owner,  too,  is  greatly  benefited." 


In  this  address  I  pointed  out  that  "the 
Plan  of  Chicago  is  Chicago's  notice  to 
the  world  that  the  indomitable  energy 
which  built  Chicago  in  a  generation  is 
still  our  energy;  the  genius  which  created 
the  unrivaled  beauty  of  the  World's  Fair 
is  still  our  genius;  and,  above  all,  the 
spirit  that  has  made  progress  the  symbol 
of  our  commercial  life  has  stamped  I 
WILL  upon  the  progress  of  our  civic 
life."   And  I  also  said: 

"The  Plan  of  Chicago  aims  simply  at 
the  moral  uplifting  and  physical  beauti- 
fying of  Chicago  for  the  good  of  not  one 
class  of  people  or  of  one  section  of  the 
city,  but  for  the  good  of  all  Chicagoans — 
for  the  good  of  all  Chicago. 

"The  physical  and  moral  deterioration 
of  the  human  race  under  the  bad  condi- 
tions of  city  life  is  one  of  the  great  prob- 
lems of  the  age.  The  defective  and  de- 
linquent records  of  Chicago,  as  well  as 
the  records  of  premature  mortality,  show 
that  there  are  certain  districts  in  which 
misery,  vice,  and  early  death  are  con- 
gested. Those  sections  furnish  an  un- 
answerable indictment  of  the  conditions 
under  which  we  permit  some  of  the 
people  to  exist. 

"Proper  housing,  proper  sanitation, 
air,  and  sunlight  are  the  first  rights  of 
humanity,  and  when  we  permit  them  to 
be  denied  we  must  accept  responsibility 
for  the  inevitable  result.  A  city  built  on 
rational  and  orderly  lines  means  more 
comfort,  more  health,  and  more  oppor- 
tunity for  the  physical  and  moral  devel- 
opment of  its  people.  We  repeat  what 
the  Romans  used  to  say,  'A  healthy  body 
brings  about  a  healthy  mind.'  We  de- 
clare that  that  is  perhaps  more  true  in 
regard  to  a  community  than  it  is  of  the 
individual." 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  I  pointed 
out  during  this  talk  that  "as  to  the  ideal 
which  inspired  the  creation  of  the  Plan 
of  Chicago,  the  July,  1909,  issue  of  The 
Outlook  contains  the  following: 

"  'In  this  country  the  city  planning 
movement  owes  its  inspiration  chiefly  to 
the  World's  Fair  of  1893  in  Chicago. 
When  the  people  witnessed  the  impres- 
sive grouping  of  beautiful  buildings  at 
the  Fair,  they  began  to  ask  why  their 
cities  might  not  be  made  more  perma- 
nently beautiful.  Since  the  holding  of  the 


World's  Fair  in  Chicago  practically  all 
the  larger  and  many  of  the  smaller  cities 
of  the  country  have  had  studies  made 
and  plans  suggested  for  remodeling  in 
accordance  with  orderly  notions  of  de- 
velopment, with  a  view  to  promoting 
both  utility  and  beauty.'  " 

If  the  World's  Fair  was  the  inspira- 
tion, we  ask  why  should  not  our  city  also 
be  the  leader  in  demonstrating  what  can 
be  done  in  this  field? 

Is  it  a  mere  coincidence  that  Daniel 
Hudson  Burnham,  whose  ideas  are  repre- 
sented in  the  Plan  of  Chicago,  is  the 
same  man  who  planned  the  World's  Fair 
of  1893  with  its  beautiful  buildings  and 
landscape  effects — that  selfsame  World's 
Fair  the  preparations  for  which  the 
people  of  the  country  watched  with 
great  doubt  and  misgiving,  openly  say- 
ing that  Chicago  might  produce  a  fair  on 
a  large  scale  but  that  it  would  lack  artis- 
tic merit  in  every  particular.  And  when 
it  was  opened !  Had  anything  equal  to  it 
ever  been  produced  before,  or  has  any- 
thing equal  to  it  been  produced  since? 

The  broad  vision  of  Daniel  Hudson 
Burnham  is  nowhere  more  strikingly 
shown  than  in  the  famous  utterance  of 
his  which  has  been  quoted  so  often  by 
everyone  interested  in  city  planning,  yet 
which  cannot  be  quoted  too  often.  Truly 
he  spoke  with  the  voice  of  a  prophet 
when  he  said: 

"Make  no  little  plans;  they  have  no 
magic  to  stir  men's  blood,  and  probably 
themselves  will  not  be  realized.  Make 
big  plans;  aim  high  in  hope  and  work, 
remembering  that  a  noble,  logical,  dia- 
gram once  recorded  will  never  die,  but 
long  after  we  are  gone  will  be  a  living 
thing,  asserting  itself  with  ever-growing 
intensity.  Remember  that  our  sons  and 
grandsons  are  going  to  do  things  that 
would  stagger  us.  Let  your  watchword 
be  order,  and  your  beacon  beauty." 

Another  evidence  of  Mr.  Burnham's 
directing  foresight  and  wisdom  is  the 
content  of  the  Plan  of  Chicago.  Not 
only  does  the  Plan  provide  for  traffic  and 
transportation,  terminal  development, 
increased  recreational  facilities,  a  major 
street  plan  and  other  street  improve- 
ments, parks  and  forest  preserves;  but 
it  also  includes  small  parks,  bathing 
beaches,  the  development  of  the  lake 
front,  harbors  (a  great  transfer  harbor 


on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  the 
Calumet  industrial  harbor),  barge  facili- 
ties and  barge  terminals,  river  straight- 
ening, fixed  bridges,  a  new  post  office, 
subways,  regional  planning  and  water- 
ways to  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Is  it  a  coincidence  that  many  of  the 
men  who  helped  achieve  the  success  of 
the  World's  Fair  of  1893  (which  placed 
Chicago  in  the  ranks  of  the  metropolitan 
cities),  are  the  same  men  who  today  are 
working  for  the  Plan  of  Chicago?  Chi- 
cago is  now  coming  to  recognize  that 
John  V.  Farwell  spoke  truly  when  he,  as 
president  of  The  Commercial  Club,  said 
at  one  of  the  regular  meetings  (January 
5,  1908): 

"The  very  foundation  and  aim  of  the 
whole  idea  is  to  develop  the  enduring 
prosperity  of  Chicago,  and  in  order  to 
do  that,  all  the  elements  which  go  to 
make  up  a  great  city  must  be  considered. 
Just  as  all  exalted  characters  must  be 
well-rounded  men — men  who  are  devel- 
oped on  all  sides  of  their  character,  phy- 
sically, mentally,  morally,  and  spiritu- 
ally— so  large  cities,  if  they  wish  to  be 
great,  must  be  developed  on  all  sides, 
must  develop  their  commerce,  their 
beauty,  and  their  morals.  This  Plan 
means  all  that  to  Chicago  and  if  the 
Plan  is  carried  out  it  will  give  us  a  city 
in  which  the  people,  rich  and  poor,  will 
prosper,  and  in  which  everybody  will 
desire  to  live." 

The  Commercial  Club  in  1909  pre- 
sented the  finished  Plan  of  Chicago  to 
Mayor  Fred  A.  Busse  with  the  sugges- 
tion that  the  City  Council  of  the  City  of 
Chicago  be  requested  to  authorize  the 
appointment  of  a  commission  on  the 
Plan.  The  purpose  and  function  of  the 
commission  were  clearly  and  concisely 
defined  in  the  mayor's  message  to  the 
council  of  July  6,  1909,  which  concludes 
as  follows: 

"I  respectfully  recommend  that  your 
honorable  body  authorize  the  mayor  to 
appoint  such  a  commission  to  be  com- 
posed of  members  of  your  honorable 
body  and  citizens,  whose  duty  it  shall 
be  to  take  up  this  question  (the  develop- 
ment of  Chicago  in  accordance  with  the 
Plan  of  Chicago),  to  the  end  that  the 
whole  city  and  all  elements  in  it  may  be 
fully  informed   as   to  what  is  contem- 


plated in  this  Plan  for  the  future,  so  that 
an  official  Plan  of  Chicago  may  be  pro- 
duced that  will  have  the  endorsement 
and  support  of  the  entire  municipality." 

Pursuant  to  this  message  the  City 
Council  took  favorable  action,  where- 
upon the  mayor  appointed  the  Chicago 
Plan  Commission,  the  members  of  which 
were  confirmed  by  the  City  Council  on 
November  4,  1909.  The  Commission 
was  made  a  regular  department  of  the 
city  government,  with  limited  functions 
comprising  advisory,  but  not  executive, 
power. 

May  I  repeat  here  what  I  have  said 
before  that  "in  Chicago  we  proceed  upon 
the  assumption — an  assumption  which  I 
believe  is  amply  justified — that  the  aver- 
age man  in  a  public  position  is  a  man 
devoted  to  the  faithful  performance  of 
his  duty,  and  devoted  to  the  welfare  of 
his  city." 

In  December,  1918,  a  pamphlet  was 
issued  which  contained  the  Reconstruc- 
tion Platform  of  the  Chicago  Plan  Com- 
mission, and  in  which  we  said: 

"This  is  Chicago's  gravest  hour  of 
need  and  its  moment  of  greatest  oppor- 
tunity. Chicago's  first  reconstruction 
duty  is  toward  its  returning  soldiers. 
Work  must  be  provided  for  them,  and 
the  proper  employment  of  labor  should 
be  our  first  consideration.  The  best  op- 
portunity for  this  is  work  on  Chicago's 
great  public  improvements." 

We  went  on  to  say  that  the  Plan  of 
Chicago  should  have  the  aggressive  sup- 
port of  Labor,  and  I  am  glad  to  say  here 
that  it  always  has  had  this  support.  The 
Plan  stands  for  the  highest  standards  of 
living,  for  better  working  conditions, 
more  recreational  facilities,  and  the 
stamping  out  of  conditions  of  over- 
crowding with  their  attendant  evils. 
Work  at  adequate  wages,  not  charity, 
is  the  right  of  labor.  Public  improve- 
ments carefully  thought  out,  offer  a 
splendid  opportunity  of  providing  labor 
with  employment,  particularly  if  plans 
are  laid  in  advance  so  that  construction 
work  can  be  carried  on  during  periods  of 
unemployment. 

Our  feeling  in  this  matter  has  been 
voiced  by  Governor  Frank  O.  Lowden, 
and  President  Woodrow  Wilson.    Gov- 


ernor  Lowden  said,  "I  feel  strongly  that 
public  authorities  should  do  and  do  thor- 
oughly the  preliminary  work  necessary 
to  enable  us,  immediately  upon  the  close 
of  the  war,  to  proceed  intelligently  and 
vigorously  upon  public  work." 

President  Wilson  said,  "There  will  be 
a  large  floating  residuum  of  labor  which 
should  not  be  left  wholly  to  shift  for  it- 
self. It  seems  important,  therefore,  that 
the  development  of  public  work  of  every 
sort  should  be  promptly  resumed." 

During  the  war  our  slogan  was,  "Pre- 
pare in  war  for  peace."  Now  our  slogan 
is,  "Prepare  in  times  of  prosperity  for 
adversity."  In  times  of  unemployment 
following  periods  of  prosperity  the  same 
situation  will  arise  as  grew  out  of  the 
war.  Let  us  then  prepare  to  avoid  the 
mistake  observed  by  the  late  Joseph  H. 
Choate,  that  "the  American  plan  is  al- 
ways to  go  in  first  and  get  ready  after- 
ward." 

In  the  reconstruction  platform  we 
enumerated  twenty-three  Chicago  Plan 
improvements  which  we  considered  so 
vital  to  Chicago's  progress  that  we  rec- 
ommended their  prosecution  with  un- 
abated vigor. 

Next  came  a  pamphlet  issued  Febru- 
ary 3,  1919,  entitled,  "Economic  Read- 
justment from  a  War  to  a  Peace  Basis," 
with  the  subtitle,  "The  Employment  of 
Labor  is  the  Vital  Issue."  In  this  bro- 
chure I  claimed  that  the  great  war  had 
had  its  lessons,  that  the  greatest  lesson 
of  all  was  accomplishment  by  unity  of 
action,  and  that  the  effective  part  taken 
by  the  United  States  in  the  war,  was 
made  possible  by  the  united  effort  of  the 
whole  people  who,  with  singleness  of 
purpose,  devoted  their  money,  material, 
and  influence  to  winning  the  war.  That 
is  what  brought  victory.  Then  I  in- 
quired if  the  lesson  of  unity  of  action 
had  been  mastered,  and  said  that  "if  the 
people  will  now  turn  their  united  and  un- 
divided attention  to  the  restoration  of 
industry  with  the  same  zeal,  fervor,  and 
patriotism  with  which  they  devoted 
themselves  to  the  war,  the  same  brilliant 
record  might  be  made  for  peace  and 
prosperity." 

In  the  same  booklet  I  also  asserted 
that  "the  future  of  democracy  is  co- 
operation and  above  all  cooperation  be- 
tween capital  and  labor.     Capital  and 


labor  should  march  forward  shoulder  to 
shoulder,  supporting  each  other.  They 
are  synonymous." 

Early  in  1921  we  had  the  privilege  of 
announcing  to  the  people  of  Chicago  the 
generosity  of  Mr.  William  Wrigley,  Jr. 
and  the  Trustees  of  the  Ferguson  Fund, 
who  contributed  $60,000  respectively  for 
four  groups  of  statuary  which  are  to  em- 
bellish the  Michigan  Avenue  bridge 
houses.  This  announcement  was  made 
in  the  form  of  a  folder  entitled,  "The 
Public  Spirit  of  the  Citizens  of  Chicago 
Still  Lives  and  Therein  Lies  the  Promise 
of  the  Future."  In  it  we  pointed  out 
that  with  the  money  thus  provided  it 
would  now  be  possible  to  make  these 
bridge  houses  artistically  beautiful  and 
historically  significant,  and  we  expressed 
the  hope  that  the  standard  of  beauty 
thus  set  would  serve  to  stimulate  the 
private  developments  along  Wacker 
Drive  and  eventually  along  the  north 
bank  of  the  Chicago  River. 

In  December,  1921,  "An  Appeal  to 
Business  Men,"  was  issued.  This  book- 
let was  divided  into  three  parts,  the  first 
of  them  entitled,  "Provide  Work  Now 
for  the  Unemployed;"  the  second,  "Re- 
lation of  National  Prosperity  to  City 
Planning;"  and  the  third,  "Business  and 
the  Chicago  Plan." 

In  the  first  section  of  this  appeal  I  said 
that  "to  provide  jobs  for  the  unem- 
ployed, public  works  should  be  started 
immediately." 

The  substance  of  the  other  two  sec- 
tions can  be  summarized  as  follows: 

Lack  of  foresight  in  matters  of  general 
concern  is  a  prevailing  American  failing. 
That  is  why  we  are  never  prepared  for 
an  emergency.  That  is  why  we  never 
act  decisively  until  a  disaster  has  oc- 
curred, or  an  economic  situation  arisen 
so  grave  that  it  makes  the  foundations 
of  our  commercial  and  industrial  struc- 
ture totter.  Then  we  act  feverishly  with- 
out sufficient  knowledge  of  the  cause 
that  produced  the  effect,  and  without 
time  enough  to  work  out  adequate  plans. 
This  results  in  hasty,  superficial,  and  in- 
effective remedial  measures.  What  a 
contrast  to  private  business  efficiency! 

The  only  way  fully  to  meet  the  situ- 
ation is  to  create  a  public  sentiment  so 
powerful  and  so  effective  that  it  will  con- 


10 


demn  wastefulness,  carelessness,  and 
shortsightedness;  and  demand  foresight, 
wise  economy,  and  conservation.  Why 
should  the  Plan  Commission  urge  the 
business  men  of  Chicago  to  interest 
themselves  in  national  conservation,  the 
reclamation  of  arid  and  inundated  lands, 
the  elimination  of  waste,  and  the  exer- 
cise of  foresight?  A  moment's  thought 
will  give  the  answer.  It  is  for  the  very 
good  reason  that  city  planning  depends 
upon  national  prosperity.  Without  na- 
tional prosperity  cities  cannot  be  pros- 
perous, and  without  prosperous  cities 
city  planning  cannot  go  forward.  Busi- 
ness has  for  its  very  foundation  the  na- 
tural resources  of  a  country.  The  waste- 
ful use  of  such  resources  places  an  un- 
necessary hardship  upon  every  form  of 
business. 

We  need  speak  only  of  the  essentials  of 
our  national  prosperity,  i.  e.,  agriculture, 
fuel  and  timber — to  prove  the  assertion 
that  we  are  the  most  wasteful  people  on 
earth.  Our  abundant  resources  will  not 
save  us  forever.  We  are  living  on  our 
capital.  Our  resources  are  rapidly  di- 
minishing. We  must  appreciate  beyond 
peradventure  that  our  woeful  lack  of 
foresight,  our  extravagance,  our  waste- 
fulness, and  our  superficiality  will  lead 
to  disaster  unless  we  profit  by  our  expe- 
rience and  the  experience  of  other  coun- 
tries. Unless  we  repair  these  short- 
comings immediately  in  a  broad,  intel- 
ligent, and  patriotic  way  we  cannot 
remain  prosperous. 

The  way  in  which  economic  losses  and 
waste  increase  the  cost  of  living  will  be 
apparent  to  anyone  who  will  consult  the 
statistics  of  our  annual  fire  loss,  includ- 
ing the  loss  caused  by  forest  fires;  and 
those  showing  the  depletion  of  our  na- 
tural resources.  Our  failure  to  reforest 
has  already  resulted  in  our  having  to 
obtain  more  than  a  third  of  the  pulp 
wood  which  we  use  from  Canada,  where 
reforestation  laws  prevail.  It  is  of  prime 
importance  also  that  we  should  set  about 
restoring  to  fertility  exhausted  farm 
lands  and  reclaiming  millions  upon  mil- 
lions of  acres  of  arid  and  inundated  land. 

Chicago  is  carrying  out  the  Plan  of 
Chicago  with  commendable  zeal.  But 
the  very  foundation  upon  which  the 
Plan  rests  is  the  prosperity  of  the  city, 
and  this  in  turn  depends  upon  the  welfare 
of  the  nation.    Hence,  if  the  Plan  of  Chi- 


cago is  to  fulfill  its  highest  usefulness  it 
is  time  that  our  business  men  should 
safeguard  their  own  interests  and  the 
city's  welfare  by  devoting  constant,  in- 
telligent, and  active  attention  to  na- 
tional affairs;  and  by  interesting  them- 
selves actively  and  with  due  foresight  in 
national  conservation,  reclamation  pro- 
jects, and  the  elimination  of  every  kind 
of  waste. 

Another  thought  from  the  "Appeal  to 
Business  Men,"  was  that  "business  to- 
day needs  freight  terminals  and  other 
improvements  so  good  that  it  will  be  im- 
possible for  other  industrial  points  to 
offer  better  facilities  for  the  location  of 
industry  than  Chicago  can  offer.  Indus- 
tries must  find  every  reason  for  moving 
into  Chicago  and  no  reason  for  moving 
out." 

The  "Appeal"  was  followed  in  1924  by 
"An  S  O  S  to  the  Public  Spirited  Citizens 
of  Chicago,"  which  starts  with  the  fol- 
lowing quotation  from  Daniel  Hudson 
Burnham,  which  in  my  judgment  can- 
not be  repeated  too  often: 

"The  spirit  of  Chicago  is  our  greatest 
asset.  It  is  not  merely  civic  pride;  it  is 
rather  the  constant,  steady  determina- 
tion to  bring  about  the  very  best  condi- 
tions of  city  life  for  all  the  people,  with 
full  knowledge  that  what  we  as  a  people 
decide  to  do  in  the  public  interest  we  can 
and  surely  will  bring  to  pass." 

The  SOS  was  in  the  form  of  a  warn- 
ing to  the  citizens  not  to  lag  in  their 
support  of  the  Chicago  Plan,  asserting 
that  we  must  push  the  projects  in  the 
Plan  to  a  speedy  completion.  I  reiter- 
ated therein  that  business  man  and 
banker,  employer  and  employee,  artisan 
and  laborer  all  have  interests  in  common, 
and  that  the  Plan  Commission  realizes 
that  our  national  well-being  (with  which 
that  of  our  city  is  bound  up),  is  depen- 
dent upon  wise  legislation,  cooperation, 
and  community  of  action. 

The  booklet  went  on  to  say:  "Chicago 
knows  what  it  needs — of  this  there  can 
be  no  question.  It  needs  the  fundamen- 
tal improvements  in  the  Plan  of  Chicago 
to  make  it  not  only  the  metropolis  of 
this  country,  but  also  a  healthful,  com- 
fortable, and  attractive  place  for  all  its 
people  to  live  and  work  in ;  so  attractive 
indeed,  that  it  will  draw  the  people  of 


11 


the  world  continually  to  its  doors,  bring- 
ing in  much  with  them  and  taking  away 
nothing  that  will  leave  the  city  poorer. 

"There  is  a  tendency  always  to  adopt 
the  line  of  least  resistance.  The  function 
of  the  Chicago  Plan  Commission,  how- 
ever, is  to  see  that  Chicago  gets  what  it 
needs.  In  exercising  its  function  and 
making  its  recommendations,  the  Chi- 
cago Plan  Commission  tolerates  no  guess 
work,  no  makeshifts,  and  no  'line  of  least 
resistance'  policy.  It  stands  firmly, 
squarely,  and  unequivocally  upon  a  plat- 
form of  improvements  which  shall  be 
adequate  not  only  for  today  but  also  for 
the  future. 

"I  stress  adequacy  particularly,  be- 
cause one  of  the  hardest  things  we  as  a 
Commission  have  to  do  is  to  convince 
people  of  the  necessity  of  making  im- 
provements large  enough  not  only  for 
today  but  also  for  future  needs.  Chica- 
goans  are  given  to  talking  continually 
about  making  Chicago  the  greatest  city 
on  the  North  American  continent,  while 
at  the  same  time  they  tolerate  a  persist- 
ent efi"ort  to  cut  down  and  restrict  im- 
provements. When  we  all  genuinely  ap- 
preciate what  Chicago  is  destined  to  be 
— when  we  free  ourselves  of  the  idea  that 
we  are  still  living  in  horse-and-buggy 
days,  then  we  shall  insist  upon  improve- 
ments that  are  amply  large  for  future 
needs  in  order  that  Chicago  may  be  what 
we  all  want  it  to  be— a  great  and  better 
city,  insuring  to  all  of  the  people  eco- 
nomic and  social  benefits  of  incalculable 
value." 

In  this  document  I  stated  that  "the 
Plan  Commission  enjoys  to  a  remarkable 
degree  the  confidence  of  the  people  of 
Chicago.  It  has  the  loyal  and  unstinted 
support  of  the  present  city  administra- 
tion under  Mayor  William  E.  Dever,  as 
it  has  had  that  of  all  the  administrations 
through  which  it  has  passed — the  admin- 
istrations of  Mayors  Busse,  Harrison, 
and  Thompson — and  of  all  other  govern- 
mental bodies  with  which  it  has  come  in 
contact." 

I  said  further  that  "the  Chicago  Plan 
is  a  scientific  and  thorough  analysis  of 
the  present  and  future  needs  of  our  city. 
It  is  a  practical  and  economical  plan  for 
the  mighty  task  of  remodeling  Chicago 
in  an  orderly  and  systematic  way. 


"The  need  for  a  plan  grew  out  of  the 
changed  conditions  which  belong  to  the 
twentieth  century,  and  out  of  the  marvel- 
ously  rapid  growth  of  the  city.  Without 
guidance  Chicago's  development  will  be 
in  accordance  with  the  extravagant,  un- 
intelligent, haphazard  and  disjointed 
manner  of  the  past.  The  Plan  of  Chi- 
cago furnishes  the  guidance.  Every  city 
should  have  a  sound,  practical  and  scien- 
tifically prepared  plan,  embodying  fun- 
damental principles  to  guide  its  physical 
development.  Because  of  the  rapidly 
changing  conditions  in  our  American 
cities,  however,  all  city  plans  are  neces- 
sarily subject  to  modification  from  time 
to  time  to  meet  modern  requirements. 

"The  Chicago  Plan  points  out  the 
great  possibilities  for  improving  and 
beautifying  this  city.  The  Plan  stands 
out  today  as  fresh  and  suggestive  as  it 
ever  was,  although  seventeen  years  have 
elapsed  since  it  was  presented  to  the  city 
as  a  gift  from  The  Commercial  Club 
of  Chicago. 

"It  testifies  to  the  keen  foresight  and 
wisdom  of  Daniel  Hudson  Burnham  and 
proves  that  he  and  his  collaborator,  Mr. 
E.  H.  Bennett  (our  present  consultant), 
who,  with  their  able  co-workers,  pro- 
duced the  plan,  possessed  a  vision  far 
in  advance  of  their  time. 

"All  those  who  are  active  in  the  work 
of  the  Chicago  Plan,  and  who  are  keep- 
ing it  constantly  abreast  of  the  times, 
never  cease  to  wonder  at  its  clearness, 
definiteness  and  comprehensiveness  in 
dealing  with  the  fundamental  problems 
of  the  future  as  well  as  the  present. 

"Every  one  of  the  Plan  improvements 
under  way  could  stand  alone  as  fully 
worth  all  its  cost;  but  when  the  improve- 
ments are  regarded  collectively,  both 
those  under  way  and  those  proposed, 
then  it  appears  how  closely  they  dovetail 
and  how  efficiently  they  function  to- 
gether. There  you  have  the  essence  of 
the  Plan  of  Chicago:  Unity,  order,  con- 
venience, economy. 

"The  Plan  is  a  standard  of  ideals. 
'Ideals  are  like  the  stars;  we  cannot 
touch  them  with  our  hands,  but  like  the 
storm-tossed  mariner  on  the  troubled 
seas,  we  may  follow  them  and  ultimately 
reach  our  destiny.' 


12 


"President  Grover  Cleveland  once 
said,  'In  all  practical  affairs  mere  idealiz- 
ing, however  earnest,  accomplishes  noth- 
ing. To  be  of  value  it  must  carry  with 
it  a  definite  program  which  the  ordinary 
citizen  can  understand.'  The  Chicago 
Plan  meets  these  requirements  fully. 
The  Plan  is  not  only  ideal,  but  it  is  prac- 
tical. It  is  economically  sound.  It  car- 
ries with  it  a  definite  program.  It  is 
easily  understood  by  all.  If  consum- 
mated, the  Plan  will  enrich  in  the  high- 
est human  way  every  man,  woman  and 
child  in  Chicago." 

Before  leaving  the  S  O  S,  I  should 
like  to  point  out  that  it  said,  "The  pedes- 
trian finds  that  he  has  fewer  and  fewer 
rights  in  our  streets.  The  sidewalk,  at 
least,  should  be  his  undisputed  domain, 
but  even  his  rights  to  the  sidewalk  are 
being  curtailed.  In  Chicago  it  is  now 
seriously  proposed  (has,  in  fact,  actually 
been  done  in  several  instances),  to  nar- 
row the  sidewalks  in  order  to  make  wider 
roadways  for  street  traffic.  The  Chicago 
Plan  Commission  positively  disapproves 
any  such  makeshift,  plainly  foreseeing 
the  whole  future  reaction  to  a  course  of 
action  so  unsound  economically  and  so 
unfair  to  the  pedestrian."  I  would  like 
to  add  to  this,  however,  that  I  do  not 
refer  to  exceptional  instances  where  the 
narrowing  of  sidewalk  space  may  be 
justifiable. 

The  pamphlet  also  called  attention  to 
the  lack  of  a  convention  hall  in  this  city. 
It  said:  "There  is  no  division  of  opinion 
with  regard  to  yet  another  need  in  Chi- 
cago, and  that  is  for  a  convention  hall  of 
a  size  adequate  to  take  care  of  the  largest 
conventions."  This  need  still  exists  and 
is  becoming  more  marked,  as  other  cities 
are  providing  suitable  halls  for  great  con- 
ventions. Chicago  ought  not  to  lag  be- 
hind in  this  matter. 

This  pamphlet  called  attention  to  the 
legal  obstacles  to  the  development  of  the 
Plan  of  Chicago  as  contained  in  the  legal 
opinion  appended  to  the  Plan  of  Chicago 
Report  of  The  Commercial  Club  (in 
1909),  which  can  be  summarized  here 
as  follows: 

1.  Restrictions  imposed  by  Federal 
and  State  constitutions  with  regard  to 
the  acquisition  of  private  property  for 
public  projects. 


2.  Limitations  in  the  constitution  of 
Illinois  pertaining  to  (a)  the  amount  of 
indebtedness  which  any  municipal  body 
may  incur — five  per  cent  of  the  assessed 
value  of  taxable  property  therein — and 
(b)  the  impossibility  of  issuing  long  term 
bonds  by  limiting  bonds  to  a  twenty- 
year  term. 

3.  The  necessity  of  obtaining  the  con- 
sent of  the  Federal  War  Department 
and  the  State  Division  of  Waterways 
in  the  case  of  improvements  involving 
Lake  Michigan  or  the  Chicago  River, 
as  these  agencies  exercise  joint  control 
over  waterways. 

The  value  of  Chicago  Plan  improve- 
ments and  the  benefits  derived  from 
them  have  been  established  beyond  ques- 
tion. The  problem  henceforth  is  how  to 
finance  them. 

For  the  past  two  or  three  years  it  has 
been  the  practice  of  the  Chicago  Plan 
Commission,  in  view  of  the  financial  con- 
ditions of  the  city,  to  bend  its  efforts 
largely  toward  the  advancement  of  those 
Chicago  Plan  projects  already  under  way 
rather  than  to  suggest  new  projects. 
Moreover,  our  own  income  is  limited,  but 
even  if  it  were  large  enough  to  permit  a 
much  larger  output  of  technical  work 
that  would  be  of  little  immediate  avail, 
because  the  city  has  almost  exhausted 
its  bonding  power  and  does  not  have 
even  sufficient  money  to  pay  for  the  im- 
provements to  which  it  has  obligated 
itself. 

Nevertheless  it  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  private  developments,  which  are  in- 
dependent of  the  city's  financial  condi- 
tion, are  constantly  going  forward,  many 
of  them  upon  a  huge  scale  and  some  of 
them  certain  to  have  an  important  and 
lasting  effect  upon  Chicago's  develop- 
ment. If  they  are  not  carried  out  in  har- 
mony with  the  general  scheme  of  city 
development,  they  may  make  it  im- 
possible to  carry  out  numerous  vitally 
necessary  public  improvements;  so  that 
to  delay  public  improvements  always 
means  the  possibility  of  obstruction  by 
private  projects.  Delay  also  means  added 
cost,  with  the  risk  that  desirable  im- 
provements may  become  so  costly  as  to 
be  beyond  the  possibility  of  realization. 

We  have  the  Plan  of  Chicago  and  we 
know  what  we  need.  Therefore  we  may 
expect  to  be  blamed  and  justly  blamed 


13 


if  we  do  not  carry  out  the  public  projects 
in  the  Plan  with  the  utmost  speed  com- 
patible with  thoroughness,  and  if  we  do 
not  carry  them  out  on  a  scale  adequate 
for  future  demands,  and  add  to  them 
from  time  to  time  as  growth  in  popula- 
tion  and   business  may  require. 

So  I  say  it  is  in  the  highest  degree  im- 
portant to  the  future  of  our  city  that 
adequate  financial  and  legislative  relief 
be  obtained  as  quickly  as  possible.  Then 
when  the  city  has  been  placed  in  a  better 
financial  position  the  Chicago  Plan  Com- 
mission should  be  given  much  larger 
annual  appropriations  than  at  present, 
in  order  that  it  may  accomplish  the 
maximum  good. 

It  is  not  that  Chicago  lacks  financial 
resources.  We  have  them  in  large  meas- 
ure, but  the  city  is  so  restricted  by  con- 
stitutional limitations  upon  its  debt  in- 
curring power  that  it  cannot  use  them. 

I  referred  to  this  condition  at  the 
twenty-fifth  anniversay  meeting  of  the 
Chicago  Association  of  Commerce,  on 
November  20,  1925 ;  and  I  told  this  effec- 
tive and  influential  body  that  I  believed 
it  was  the  best  organization  to  undertake 
to  devise  and  recommend  to  the  city 
ways  and  means  whereby  the  necessary 
funds  can  be  secured  for  the  fulfillment 
of  the  major  projects  in  the  Chicago  Plan 
in  the  present  generation.  I  suggested 
four  ways  in  which  funds  might  be 
raised,  as  follows: 

First:  Although  the  city  proper  is  up 
to  the  limit  of  its  bonding  power  there 
are  municipalities  in  this  area,  particu- 
larly the  park  boards,  which  are  not. 
Therefore  my  first  suggestion  was  to 
ascertain  what  the  unused  bonding 
power  of  these  agencies  is,  and  to  formu- 
late a  plan  whereby  a  substantial  part 
of  that  power  could  be  used  for  the  great 
improvements  in  the  Chicago  Plan. 

Second,  to  increase  the  public  reve- 
nues by  a  more  equitable  system  of 
assessment  and  taxation. 

Third,  to  increase  the  debt  incurring 
power  of  Chicago  and  other  municipali- 
ties in  this  area  by  changing  the  basis  of 
assessed  valuation  from  one-half  to  the 
entire  value  of  taxable  property. 

Fourth:  Municipalities  in  Illinois  are 
limited  to  an  indebtedness  not  to  exceed 


five  per  cent  of  the  assessed  value  of 
taxable  property.  Therefore  I  suggested 
considering  the  advisability  of  amending 
the  state  constitution  to  permit  in- 
debtedness to  at  least  ten  per  cent. 

In  addition  to  the  above  suggestions 
which  were  made  to  the  Association  of 
Commerce,  I  should  like  to  point  out 
that  it  might  be  desirable  to  advocate 
the  issuance  of  bonds  for  a  longer  term 
than  the  twenty-year  period  now  per- 
mitted by  law. 

The  New  York  state  legislature  re- 
cently adopted  a  constitutional  amend- 
ment by  which  the  bonding  power  of 
New  York  City  has  been  increased  $300,- 
000,000,  although  on  April  4,  1926,  New 
York  City  had  an  unexpended  margin  of 
$127,922,770. 

The  great  advantage  of  other  cities 
over  Chicago  in  the  ability  to  borrow 
money  to  make  needed  improvements,  is 
shown  by  the  following  table.  The  fig- 
ures for  all  the  cities  but  Chicago,  are 
from  the  Federal  Department  of  Com- 
merce. They  show  the  bonded  per 
capita  debt  for  the  ten  largest  cities  of 
the  country,  as  of  December  31,  1925. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  Chicago,  second 
in  population,  is  TENTH  in  size  of  debt: 

New  York $212.76 

Philadelphia  151.65 

Detroit* 144.91 

Cleveland 141.64 

Pittsburgh 138.68 

San  Francisco* 138.47 

Baltimore 127.27 

Boston 120.31 

Buffalo* 109.92 

CHICAGO   58.96 

*June  30,  1925. 

The  Chicago  item  includes  the  bonded 
debt  of  the  city,  the  schools,  the  county 
(within  the  city),  the  forest  preserves 
(within  the  city),  and  the  sanitary  dis- 
trict (within  the  city). 

The  amount  of  tax  caused  by  Plan 
of  Chicago  improvements  is  not  large. 
While  taxes  have  increased  considerably 
in  the  last  few  years,  only  a  very  small 
proportion  of  this  increase  has  been  be- 
cause of  Chicago  Plan  improvements. 
Special  assessments  are  sometimes  re- 
garded as  taxes,  but  this  is  to  misunder- 
stand  the   case.     Taxes   are   expenses, 

14 


while  special  assessments  are  investments 
which  increase  property  values.  When 
you  spend  money  for  any  purpose  that 
will  add  to  the  value  of  your  property, 
you  are  investing  that  sum  and  adding 
it  to  the  total  of  your  holdings,  just  as 
surely  as  if  you  had  placed  it  to  your 
credit  in  the  bank.  Surely  any  property 
owner  can  afford  to  pay  a  small  propor- 
tion of  the  increased  value  toward  the 
cost  of  an  improvement  which  made  his 
property  so  much  the  more  valuable! 

Improvements  make  surrounding  prop- 
erty worth  more.  They  increase  the 
number  of  uses  to  which  it  can  be  put, 
and  they  increase  the  revenue  which  the 
owner  derives  from  it.  Why,  then, 
should  any  one  complain  about  the  city's 
obtaining  a  small  share  in  the  form  of 
taxes  of  that  increased  income  which  has 
resulted  solely  from  what  the  city  did  in 
making  the  improvement?  Especially, 
when  as  a  general  rule  the  city  has  borne 
half  the  cost  of  the  improvement.  The 
answer  should  be  obvious:  There  can  be 
no  legitimate  complaint  that  higher  taxes 
follow  improvements  when  the  making 
of  the  improvements  has  greatly  in- 
creased the  income  from  the  property. 

It  should  also  be  borne  in  mind  that 
fine  improvements  and  places  of  interest, 
making  a  city  attractive,  are  well-paying 
investments  that  bring  people  and  busi- 
ness to  a  city.  It  has  been  well  said  that 
a  traveler  leaves  his  money  behind  him 
in  the  cities  he  visits  and  takes  away 
with  him  nothing  that  leaves  the  city 
any  poorer. 

I  deem  it  a  matter  for  sincere  con' 
gratulation  that  in  the  seventeen  years 
experience  of  the  Chicago  Plan  Commis- 
sion not  one  single  bond  issue  which  the 
Commission  has  advocated  has  been  de- 
feated at  the  polls,  but  that  on  the  con- 
trary, each  succeeding  issue  has  been 
approved  by  larger  majorities.  Votes  on 
bond  issues  are,  in  effect,  referendums  on 
the  questions  involved.  To  my  mind 
these  favorable  votes  prove  beyond  the 
question  of  a  doubt  that  the  people  of 
Chicago  really  want  the  improvements 
in  the  Plan  of  Chicago  and  are  willing 
to  pay  for  them. 

The  Chicago  Plan  Commission  stands 
for  a  width  of  100  feet  or  more  for  all  sec- 
tion line  streets,  and  86  feet  for  half- 
section  line  streets.     It  has  been  shown 


of  late  years  that  large  cities  must  pro- 
vide great  trunk  lines  or  super-highways. 
Detroit  is  an  outstanding  example  of  a 
city  that  is  developing  a  system  of  such 
arteries.  In  Detroit  a  street  is  being 
widened  every  three  miles  to  120  feet, 
and  six  miles  or  so  out  from  the  center 
of  the  city  these  widened  streets  are 
widened  yet  more  into  super-highways 
204  feet  in  width.  It  is  streets  of  this 
character  that  are  contemplated  in  the 
major  street  plan  upon  which  our  tech- 
nical staff  is  now  at  work. 

I  desire  to  warn  Chicago  against  per- 
mitting districts  with  inadequate  street 
facilities  to  develop  in  the  intensive  man- 
ner in  which  the  so-called  Streeterville 
district  is  developing.  It  is  futile  to 
spend  millions  of  dollars  in  widening 
streets  in  one  district  in  order  to  remove 
congestion,  and  then  to  permit  an  ad- 
jacent district  to  develop  with  thorough- 
fares which  are  obviously  inadequate. 
Both  the  Streeterville  district  and  the 
area  of  the  Illinois  Central's  air  right 
development  should  have  adequate  street 
facilities,  and  there  should  be  two  con- 
nections between  them  across  the  Chi- 
cago River  east  of  Michigan  Avenue; 
otherwise  the  same  condition  of  conges- 
tion which  now  hampers  the  loop  will 
be  created  in  each  of  these  areas. 

Our  Chicago  Plan  appeal,  however,  is 
not  by  any  means  entirely  a  commercial 
appeal.  It  is  a  practical  appeal  in  order 
to  secure  the  interest  and  the  sympathy 
of  an  eminently  practical  people,  and,  in 
a  larger  way,  it  is  a  human  appeal,  a 
moral  appeal,  an  appeal  to  make  Chicago 
better,  not  for  the  money  that  is  in  it, 
but  for  the  sake  of  the  higher  mental, 
moral  and  physical  development  of  the 
people  that  a  perfectly  arranged  city 
will  bring  about.  Men  in  the  mass  will 
do  more  for  ideals  than  they  will  do 
for  dollars.  Let  me  quote  Professor 
Nathaniel  Butler,  of  the  University  of 
Chicago,  who  said,  in  commenting  upon 
the  Chicago  Plan: 

"There  is  another  and  deeper  motive 
in  planning  for  the  future  greatness  of 
our  city  than  its  splendid  material  up- 
building. This  is  of  significance  only  as 
it  expresses  the  actual  social,  intellectual 
and  moral  upbuilding  of  the  people;  and 
so  far  as,  in  turn,  it  opens  the  way  for 
further  development  of  this  higher  type. 


15 


Who  is  there  among  us  who  is  not  lifted 
above  mere  sordid  industrial  existence 
into  the  realm  of  the  beautiful  and 
ennobling  things  of  life  by  attractive 
surroundings?" 

City  building  means  man  building. 
Environment  moulds  character  for  either 
good  or  bad.  Beautiful  parks,  fine  monu- 
ments, well  laid  out  streets,  relief  from 
noise,  dirt  and  confusion — all  these 
things  and  many  others  contemplated 
in  the  Plan  of  Chicago  make  not  only 
for  the  future  greatness  of  the  city,  but 
for  the  happiness  and  prosperity  of 
its  people. 

I  have  always  laid  great  stress  upon 
the  humanitarian  side  of  our  work,  plac- 
ing more  emphasis  upon  this  feature 
probably  than  I  would  otherwise  have 
done  because  of  the  knowledge  which  I 
gained  during  my  fourteen  years'  service 
with  the  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society 
and  the  United  Charities. 

For  the  past  seventeen  years  the  Chi- 
cago Plan  Commission  has  asserted  that 
city  planning  is  the  greatest  issue  con- 
fronting the  American  people,  because 
haphazard  city  growth  results  inevitably 
in  congestion,  and  congestion  creates 
conditions  that  undermine  health,  foster 
vice  and  crime,  and  decrease  the  effici- 
ency of  workers.  There  is  a  direct  rela- 
tion between  crowding  and  disease  and 
crime.  It  is  cheaper  to  help  people  to 
live  decently  in  freedom  than  idly  in  jail 
or  suffering  in  hospitals.  Parks  are  bet- 
ter investments  than  cemeteries.  Slums 
must  be  wiped  out,  and  in  their  stead 
there  must  be  created  districts  made 
healthful  by  sunshine,  invigorating  by 
fresh  air,  and  pleasant  by  places  of  re- 
creation. 

The  Chicago  Plan  Commission  has 
consistently  maintained  that  city  plan- 
ning, zoning,  and  housing  were  interde- 
pendent and  should  be  developed  con- 
currently, but  that  each  component  part 
of  this  trio  was  sufficiently  important  to 
deserve  a  separate  organization.  We 
have  in  Chicago  today  the  Chicago 
Housing  Commission.  Membership  in  a 
national  movement  for  more  and  better 
homes,  which  has  been  started  by  an 
organization  of  public  officials  and  citi- 
zens, is  open  also  to  Chicago  people. 


Since  April,  1923,  a  zoning  ordinance 
has  been  in  force  in  Chicago.  Prior  to 
the  passage  of  the  ordinance  there  was 
the  Chicago  Zoning  Commission,  the 
duties  of  which  were  to  produce  the  zon- 
ing ordinance  and  to  provide  for  the 
equitable  application  of  the  terms  of  the 
ordinance  by  the  establishment  of  a 
Zoning  Board  of  Appeals.  The  Chicago 
Plan  Commission  maintained  the  im- 
portance of  zoning  from  the  beginning, 
and  did  all  it  could  to  bring  public  at- 
tention to  bear  upon  the  need  for  a  zon- 
ing ordinance.  We  reasoned  that  if  it 
were  not  known  how  a  given  district  was 
going  to  develop,  the  improvements 
which  were  made  in  that  district  might 
prove  within  a  short  time  to  be  unadapt- 
ed  to  an  altered  trend  of  growth.  They 
might  be  found  to  be  too  large,  or  too 
small,  which  in  either  case  would  be 
wasteful. 

In  addition  to  its  own  work  upon  the 
Plan  of  Chicago,  the  technical  staff  of 
the  Plan  Commission  has  often  rendered 
assistance  to  other  city  departments. 
Conspicuous  among  activities  of  this 
kind  can  be  mentioned  the  preliminary 
work  upon  the  airplane  landing  fields, 
done  before  the  appointment  of  the  Chi- 
cago Aero  Commission;  activities  in  con- 
nection with  negotiations  between  the 
city  and  various  railroad  companies  in 
such  matters  as  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  and  other  ordinances;  and, 
more  recently,  activities  in  connection 
with  the  river-straightening  matter  and 
the  opening  of  streets  through  the  south 
side  terminal  area — both  of  which  pro- 
jects were  initiated  by  the  Chicago  Plan 
Commission  during  the  time  the  West 
Side  Union  Station  negotiations  were 
under  way  (1912). 

We  have  always  felt  called  upon  to 
cooperate  to  the  fullest  extent  with  all 
other  city  departments  and  governmen- 
tal agencies;  such  as  the  park  boards,  the 
sanitary  district,  the  county,  and  the 
state  and  federal  governments — in  all 
matters  of  mutual  interest,  even  though 
they  were  matters  which  might  not  come 
directly  within  the  province  of  the  Plan 
Commission. 

Besides  being  chairman  of  the  Chicago 
Plan  Commission,  I  have  had  the  honor 
of  being  a  member  of  the  Citizens'  Plan 
Committee  of  the  Forest  Preserve  Board, 


16 


the  body  which  has  selected  all  the  areas 
that  have  been  purchased  for  preserves; 
a  trustee  of  the  Chicago  Zoological 
Garden,  secretary  of  the  Chicago  Zoning 
Commission,  and  a  member  of  the  Chi- 
cago Aero  Commission. 

From  its  inception  until  the  present, 
the  Plan  Commission  has  followed  this 
invariable  rule  of  procedure:  First,  we 
make  a  thorough  study  of  a  contem- 
plated improvement.  We  have  always 
sought  constructive  criticism  of  our  plans, 
and  whenever  suggestions  have  been 
made  that  our  studies  have  shown  to  be 
better  than  our  own  ideas,  we  have  cheer- 
fully adopted  those  suggestions  in  substi- 
tution for  our  original  ideas.  Next  the 
technical  staff  submits  to  me  a  joint  re- 
port, signed  by  all  the  associated  tech- 
nicians, who  must  be  able  to  say  in  it 
that  the  plan  which  they  recommend 
therein  is  the  best  that  they  know  how 
to  work  out,  taking  all  conditions  and 
circumstances  into  consideration. 

This  report  is  then  submitted  to  the 
executive  committee,  where  it  receives 
painstaking,  able,  and  thorough  consid- 
eration. If  the  improvement  is  favorably 
passed  upon  by  that  body,  it  is  then  pre- 
sented to  the  entire  Plan  Commission  for 
official  approval.  When  this  has  been 
given,  our  recommendation  is  submitted 
to  the  mayor  and  the  City  Council  for 
action  by  whatsoever  municipal  agency 
may  have  jurisdiction.  After  all  this  has 
been  done,  the  Plan  Commission  stands 
firm  upon  its  recommendation  and  places 
upon  those  in  authority  the  responsibil- 
ity for  making  changes,  if  any  are  made. 

As  an  indication  of  the  thoroughness 
with  which  our  technical  staff  works,  I 
may  say  that  during  the  entire  lifetime 
of  the  Plan  Commission,  no  error  neces- 
sitating amendment  in  our  recommenda- 
tions has  been  discovered  in  any  of  the 
things  which  the  Commission  has  advo- 
cated. The  knowledge  which  our  people 
have  acquired  during  the  past  seventeen 
years,  and  the  vast  amount  of  data  which 
we  have  at  hand  cannot  help  being  of 
great  value  to  the  city,  and  we  are,  in 
fact,  often  called  upon  by  various  offi- 
cials to  make  reports  not  strictly  within 
our  line,  because  those  officials  know  that 
they  will  receive  accurate  and  unbiased 
information  from  us.  This  has  had  its 
part  in  establishing  the  Chicago  Plan,  so 
that  today  we  can  truly  say  that  the  Plan 


has  stood  the  test  of  time,  notwithstand- 
ing the  great  economic  and  other  changes 
that  have  occurred  since  it  was  made. 

We  have  not  allowed  ourselves  to  be 
influenced  in  any  of  our  efforts  by  selfish- 
ness, sectionalism,  political  bias,  and  nar- 
row policies;  we  have  stood  consistently 
upon  the  platform,  "The  greatest  good 
of  the  greatest  number;"  and  I  want  to 
say  here,  with  the  strongest  emphasis  at 
my  command,  that  if  the  time  ever  comes 
when  the  Chicago  Plan  Commission  be- 
comes political,  shows  sectional  favorit- 
ism, or  serves  private  interests  or  selfish 
purposes — then  it  will  cease  to  be  an 
asset  to  the  city  and  will  become  a 
liability. 

We  have  always  encouraged  the  for- 
mation of  civic  organizations  for  the  pro- 
motion of  the  Plan.  We  have  encouraged 
their  active  participation  in  Plan  pro- 
jects. They  have  been  scattered  all  over 
the  city.  One  such  was  created  for  the 
purpose  of  advocating  the  Michigan 
Avenue  improvement  and  of  assuring 
the  highest  and  best  development  of  the 
improved  thoroughfare.  This  body  was 
known  as  the  North  and  South  Side 
Boulevard  Property  Owners'  Associa- 
tion, and  was  the  nucleus  of  the  North 
Central  Association  of  today.  Another 
organization  for  the  promotion  of  a  Chi- 
cago Plan  improvement  is  the  Wacker 
Drive-South  Water  Street  Property- 
Owners'  Association.  We  have  always 
given  such  organizations  assistance  when- 
ever we  have  been  called  upon  to  do  so, 
in  order  to  help  in  creating  a  public 
opinion  favorable  to  the  improvements 
proposed  in  the  Chicago  Plan. 

In  no  case  have  we  ever  refused  any 
agency  our  aid  and  cooperation  when  it 
was  requested.  On  the  contrary,  we 
have  solicited  invitations  to  be  present 
at  the  meetings  of  other  agencies,  in 
order  to  safeguard  the  Plan  of  Chicago. 

We  have  spoken  whenever  called  upon 
to  do  so,  and  have  averaged  about  one 
talk  per  week  throughout  the  entire 
seventeen  years  in  which  the  Commis- 
sion has  been  functioning.  We  have 
written  many  articles  not  only  upon  the 
Plan  of  Chicago  but  upon  city  planning 
in  general  and  regional  planning  as  well. 
We  have  sent  our  literature  upon  request 
and  have  conducted  a  voluminous  corre- 


17 


spondence  with  all  parts  of  the  world.  I 
doubt  if  Chicago  has  ever  had  any  greater 
medium  for  favorable  advertising  than 
the  Chicago  Plan. 

In  all  of  its  educational  efforts  the 
Chicago  Plan  Commission  has  persist- 
ently called  attention  by  word  and  by 
picture  to  the  importance  of  relieving 
congestion,  facilitating  transportation, 
and  providing  means  for  the  preservation 
of  life.  From  the  beginning  we  have 
favored  the  establishment  of  separate 
organizations  for  special  projects — such 
as  transportation,  railway  terminals, 
river-straightening,  post  office  construc- 
tion, harbor  development,  zoning,  avia- 
tion, and  the  like — and  whenever  such 
official  bodies  have  been  organized,  the 
Chicago  Plan  Commission,  in  order  not 
to  duplicate  effort  and  expense,  has  con- 
fined its  activities  to  cooperation  with 
such  bodies,  and  with  all  commissions 
which  have  had  for  their  object  the  fur- 
therance of  the  Chicago  Plan  work  or 
the  welfare  of  the  city,  attempting  al- 
ways to  safeguard  the  interests  of  the 
Plan  of  Chicago. 

I  have  often  said  publicly  that  it  is 
regrettable  in  the  extreme  that  the  cost 
of  public  improvements  should  be  in- 
creased far  more  than  is  proper  because, 
when  it  becomes  known  that  an  improve- 
ment is  to  be  made,  speculators  rush  in, 
buy  property,  and  force  the  prices  up; 
these  prices  forming  the  market  value 
that  must  be  paid  for  the  property  at  the 
time  the  assessment  roll  is  filed  in  court. 

I  have  also  frequently  pointed  out  that 
another  serious  difficulty  in  the  way  of 
making  public  improvements  is  caused 
by  "contingent  fee"  lawyers,  who  induce 
property  owners  to  file  objections  to  im- 
provements upon  an  agreement  to  share 
with  them  any  reduction  in  assessment  or 
increase  in  award.  This  is  often  a  de- 
plorable practice  because  it  adds  to  the 
cost  of  improvements  both  to  the  prop- 
erty owners  and  the  public  for  the  reason 
that  the  deficiency  created  by  these  re- 
ductions in  assessments  and  increases  in 
awards  must,  in  the  long  run,  be  made  up 
by  supplemental  special  assessments  and 
supplemental  public  benefits. 

The  value  of  the  work  which  the  Plan 
Commission  is  doing  is  exemplified  in  the 
careful  scrutiny  which  we  give  to  all  pro- 
posed street  vacations.    We  have  felt  it 


our  duty,  whenever  any  vacation  was 
proposed  that  would  have  interfered 
seriously  with  the  Plan  of  Chicago  or  the 
proper  development  of  our  street  system, 
to  inform  the  city  authorities  and  to  use 
our  influence  to  prevent  the  making  of 
a  mistake. 

Majorities  are  not  always  right.  When 
facts  and  figures  prove  the  majority  to 
be  wrong,  a  persistent  fight  should  be 
made  to  correct  the  wrong,  even  if  ma- 
jority protests  hold  up  work  for  one  year. 
This  requires  courage,  but  nothing  can 
be  accomplished  without  courage.  Be 
sure  you  are  right  and  then  go  ahead. 

Whenever  it  has  been  important  to 
have  splendid  private  developments  to 
complete  the  appearance  of  public  im- 
provements and  to  serve  as  object  lessons 
and  inspiration  to  other  property  owners, 
I  have  endeavored  to  encourage  the  erec- 
tion of  buildings  which  would  harmonize 
with  the  setting.  One  of  many  such 
examples  is  that  of  the  property  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  Michigan  Avenue 
and  Randolph  Street.  The  treatment 
of  this  property  will  make  or  mar  the 
development  surrounding  Grant  Park. 
Imagine  the  beautiful  effect  to  be  achieved 
by  the  proper  architectural  treatment  of 
the  Illinois  Central  air  rights  on  the 
north  edge  of  Grant  Park,  together  with 
the  corner  I  have  just  mentioned;  then 
the  diversified  facades  of  the  buildings 
along  Michigan  Avenue  from  Randolph 
Street  south  to  Roosevelt  Road;  and 
then,  fronting  on  Roosevelt  Road,  the 
new  Illinois  Central  terminal  alongside 
the  Field  Museum  and  harmonizing 
architecturally  with  it! 

I  wish  to  take  this  occasion  to  affirm 
my  belief  that  the  park  authorities 
should  begin  as  soon  as  possible  to  place 
in  our  parks  copies  of  celebrated  works 
of  art,  so  that  in  the  course  of  time  a 
general  interest  in  and  taste  for  art  may 
be  aroused  and  stimulated. 

I  wish  also  to  recommend  that  the 
Plan  Commission  continue  its  practice 
of  giving  a  dinner  to  the  members  of  the 
City  Council  at  appropriate  intervals,  or 
whenever  enough  new  members  have 
been  elected  to  make  it  desirable  again 
to  present  the  Plan  work  to  them.  A 
good  method  of  presentation  would  be 
to  give  them  the  Plan  of  Chicago  lecture, 
to  which  could  be  added  as  much  addi- 


18 


tional  descriptive  material  as  might  be 
desirable. 

I  should  like  also  to  call  attention  here 
to  the  fact  that  the  Federal  Government 
has  not  been  generous  in  its  treatment  of 
Chicago.  It  is  a  commendable  custom 
for  the  people  of  a  nation,  state  or  city 
to  strive  to  express  the  importance  and 
spirit  of  their  government  through  the 
imposing  architecture  of  their  public 
buildings.  A  beautiful  public  building 
is  not  only  an  inspiration  to  the  people 
in  an  aesthetic  way,  but  it  serves  to 
represent  to  them  the  stability  of  their 
government.  Our  public  buildings  sym- 
bolize our  public  spirit  and  our  interest 
in  public  affairs,  and  should  be  looked 
upon  as  a  great  asset.  What  has  ever 
appealed  more  to  the  conscious  ideals  of 
the  people  of  all  countries  than  the  dig- 
nity of  the  nation  as  expressed  in  the 
substantial  beauty  of  government  build- 
ings? 

It  is,  therefore,  much  to  be  regretted 
that  present  indications  are  that  the  pro- 
posed new  post  office  will  apparently  not 
be  constructed  upon  the  recommended 
site  between  the  Chicago  and  North- 
western terminal  and  the  Union  Station, 
because  of  limitations  upon  the  amount 
of  money  that  may  be  spent  for  a  site. 
There  would  have  been  a  fine  oppor- 
tunity to  place  a  government  building 
on  this  location,  practical  for  postal  pur- 
poses yet  of  appropriate  architecture  to 
harmonize  with  the  adjacent  railway  ter- 
minals; the  whole  forming  an  imposing 
group  of  buildings  of  great  impressive- 
ness  and  public  usefulness,  and  also  a 
fine  skyline  along  the  west  bank  of  the 
river  (Canal  Street). 

Wherever  the  post  office  may  be  lo- 
cated, it  should  be  set  back  at  least  far 
enough  from  the  present  building  line 
on  all  sides  to  enable  the  streets  around 
it  to  care  for  the  additional  burden  of 
traffic  which  the  business  of  the  post 
office  will  thrust  upon  them. 

"The  railroad  made  the  town,"  is  a 
familiar  Americanism  which  acknowl- 
edges the  obligation  of  the  average  town 
to  the  railroads.  The  time  soon  comes 
in  the  life  of  a  town  that  the  obligation 
becomes  mutual  and  the  railroad  is 
expected  to  make  provision  for  safety  at 
crossings,  to  keep  its  right-of-way  sightly 
and  to  lay  out  yards  and  erect  buildings 


that  do  not  interfere  with  the  street  sys- 
tem of  the  town.  A  further  improvement 
has  been  electrification,  which  was  first 
used  by  New  York  City  terminals  and 
along  the  thickly-settled  route  of  the 
New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford 
Railway. 

In  Chicago  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road has  just  completed  electrification  of 
its  suburban  service.  How  it  came  to 
electrify  is  part  of  the  history  of  the  lake 
front  development.  Without  this  im- 
provement the  vegetation  in  Grant  Park 
and  the  new  lake  front  park  would  be 
retarded.  With  the  improvement,  the 
reclamation  of  the  lake  front  can  proceed 
with  all  reasonable  speed,  the  develop- 
ment of  the  South  Side  is  encouraged, 
property  values  are  increased,  and  life 
in  the  section  penetrated  by  the  Illinois 
Central  is  made  more  attractive. 

The  Chicago  Plan  Commission  had 
the  foresight  to  advocate  electrification 
of  the  Illinois  Central  as  a  part  of  the 
agreement  between  the  railroad  and  the 
city,  whereby  riparian  rights  were  settled 
preliminary  to  the  construction  of  the 
new  lake  front  park.  The  Commission's 
foresight  has  now  been  justified,  and  will 
be  further  justified  when  the  other  rail- 
roads in  Chicago  decide  to  follow  the 
example  of  the  Illinois  Central. 

Life  in  Chicago  would  have  greater 
charm,  and  health  and  efficiency  would 
be  promoted,  if  we  could  abolish  super- 
fluous noises.  There  are  enough  neces- 
sary noises  in  a  great  city  without  sub- 
jecting ourselves  to  the  slow  tortures  of 
those  which  are  unnecessary.  Nothing 
but  a  compelling  public  demand  for  sur- 
cease from  noise  will  cure  the  condition, 
which  is  really  an  uncivilized  one. 
Visitors  from  abroad  all  speak  of  it  and 
wonder  how  we  endure  it. 

It  is  absurd  to  talk  about  a  "city  beau- 
tiful," and  at  the  same  time  submit  to 
the  smoke  nuisance.  What  shall  it 
profit  us  to  have  fine  architecture  if  it 
is  obscured  by  soot?  Or  fine  parks  if 
the  vegetation  is  stunted  by  smoke?  We 
may  be  an  efficient  and  a  convenient  city 
but  we  can  never  be  a  beautiful  city  until 
we  abate  the  smoke  nuisance,  and  if  we 
are  not  a  beautiful  city  we  shall  not  in 
the  long  run  readily  be  a  world  leader. 
We  have  a  bad  name  for  smokiness  now, 
surpassed  by  only  one  other  American 


19 


city,  and  apparently  our  public  is  not 
yet  sufficiently  alive  to  the  evil  to  de- 
mand its  correction.  The  native  Chi- 
cagoan  is  used  to  the  condition  and  good- 
naturedly  accepts  it.  But  it  is  within 
his  power  if  he  will  but  exert  it,  to  have 
clean  air,  to  save  his  health  and  his  per- 
sonal property  from  the  ravages  of  smoke 
and  dirt,  and  to  remove  the  stigma  that 
now  attaches  to  Chicago's  reputation. 

In  this  connection  we  should  not  over- 
look the  ever-growing  menace  to  health 
from  the  fumes  emitted  by  the  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  automobiles  that  tra- 
verse our  streets  each  day. 

Sooner  or  later  investigation  and  con- 
structive measures  may  become  neces- 
sary to  overcome  the  evil  from  this 
source. 

We  all  know  that  Chicago  is  a  great 
railroad  center  and  a  great  central  mar- 
ket, as  well  as  a  great  center  of  popula- 
tion. Relatively  few  people,  however, 
have  any  idea  how  Chicago  has  advanced 
in  the  matter  of  cultural  development 
until  it  is  today  a  great  center  of  educa- 
tion, culture  and  religion,  with  its  many 
universities,  schools  of  various  kinds, 
churches,  libraries,  museums,  art  insti- 
tutes, and  the  like.  Contributing  to  this 
cultural  development  are  such  projects 
as  the  proposed  Zoological  Garden  to  be 
established  in  the  forest  preserves  near 
Riverside  on  land  a  part  of  which  was 
donated  for  the  purpose  by  Mrs.  Rocke- 
feller McCormick;  the  Joy  Morton 
Arboretum  a  little  farther  west;  the  John 
G.  Shedd  Aquarium,  to  be  constructed 
near  the  Field  Museum  and  Soldiers' 
Field;  and  the  Julius  Rosenwald  indus- 
trial art  museum  in  Jackson  Park.  In 
this  connection  we  should  all  be  glad 
that  the  old  Fine  Arts  Building,  which, 
architecturally  speaking,  is  one  of  the 
finest  buildings  in  the  world,  is  to  be 
properly  restored.  It  will  serve  as  a 
suitable  memento  of  the  great  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  of  1893. 

In  the  course  of  the  Plan  Commis- 
sion's seventeen  years  of  activity,  there 
have  been  certain  outstanding  occasions 
which  I  believe  should  be  noted  in  a 
resume  of  this  kind.  Therefore  I  shall 
list  them  as  follows: 

The  dinner  of  The  Commercial  Club 
to  the  Plan  Commission  on  January  8, 


1910.  At  this  meeting  the  continued 
cooperation  of  The  Commercial  Club 
was  pledged. 

The  meeting  on  February  3,  1912,  pre- 
sided over  by  the  late  Ella  Flagg  Young, 
to  which  all  the  school  principals  and 
eighth  grade  teachers  were  invited,  and 
at  which  the  Chicago  Plan  and  the  school 
text  book  were  explained.  From  this 
meeting  dates  the  splendid  cooperation 
which  we  have  had  from  our  educators. 

The  dinner  to  state,  county  and  city 
officials  on  January  24,  1913. 

The  trip  of  inspection,  December  4, 
1915,  made  by  a  group  of  eighth  grade 
teachers  and  conducted  by  Plan  Com- 
mission officers.  The  tour  of  Chicago 
Plan  improvements  concluded  with  a 
lecture  at  the  Lane  Technical  High 
School  which  served  to  stimulate  inter- 
est in  teaching  the  Plan  manual. 

The  dinner  given  on  October  29,  1919, 
to  the  leaders  of  both  political  parties, 
shortly  before  the  election  at  which  the 
$28,600,000  issue  of  bonds  for  Chicago 
Plan  improvements  was  voted  upon. 
This  dinner  brought  together  the  leaders 
of  every  political  faction  in  the  city,  each 
of  whom  agreed  to  support  the  bond  is- 
sue proposals.  The  outcome  of  this 
united  support  was  that  the  bond  issues 
passed  by  large  majorities.  This  inci- 
dent is  cited  to  show  that  it  is  possible 
to  gain  the  cooperation  of  all  parties  in 
great  improvements  in  the  public  interest. 

And  the  dinners  given  from  time  to 
time  to  the  members  of  the  City  Council, 
as  the  membership  of  that  body  has 
changed. 

A  crucial  test  came  during  the  period 
when  the  Plan  Commission  waged  a 
strenuous  campaign  to  secure  increased 
bonding  power  for  Chicago  in  order  to 
make  possible  the  issuance  of  $28,600,- 
000  of  bonds.  The  campaign  was  a  suc- 
cess, and  the  bonds  were  approved  by 
the  voters  on  November  4,  1919.  Fail- 
ure in  this  efifort  would  have  meant  the 
cessation  of  all  Chicago  Plan  work.  In 
order  to  secure  this  increased  bonding 
power  it  was  necessary  to  get  the  state 
legislature  to  pass  sixty-nine  bills  chang- 
ing the  basis  of  assessment  from  one- 
third  to  one-half  of  the  assessed  value, 
and  reducing  every  tax  rate  proportion - 


20 


ately,  so  that  the  amount  of  taxes  should 
not  be  increased  except  as  additional 
taxes  might  be  required  from  time  to 
time  to  provide  the  sinking  fund  and  in- 
terest on  bonds  issued.  The  success  of 
this  legislation  is  all  the  more  note- 
worthy because  these  bills  had  all  to  be 
passed  in  the  closing  hours  of  the  session, 
and  each  required  a  roll  call. 

We  have  been  very  fortunate  indeed  in 
having  had  the  effective  and  whole- 
hearted support  of  Governors  Charles  S. 
Deneen,  Frank  O.  Lowden,  and  Len 
Small,  and  their  respective  administra- 
tions, who  have  helped  us  over  many  a 
serious  difficulty. 

I  wish  also  to  acknowledge  our  indeb- 
tedness to  the  successive  Boards  of  Cook 
County  Commissioners  with  which  we 
have  worked;  likewise  to  the  successive 
War  Department  Engineers  assigned  to 
Chicago. 

This  report  could  not  possibly  be  con- 
sidered complete  if  it  failed  to  include 
special  reference  to  and  marked  appreci- 
ation for  the  cordial  and  exceedingly 
effective  personal  and  official  coopera- 
tion of  Mayor  Fred  A.  Busse  (1907- 
1911),  Mayor  Carter  H.  Harrison  (1911- 
1915),  Mayor  William  Hale  Thompson 
(1915-1923),  and  Mayor  William  E. 
Dever  (1923  to  the  present),  and  the 
splendid  aid  of  the  members  of  their  ad- 
ministrations, including  all  departments 
thereof,  particularly  the  Boards  of  Local 
Improvements,  the  Corporation  Coun- 
sels and  Assistant  Corporation  Counsels, 
the  Law  Department  of  the  successive 
Boards  of  Local  Improvements,  and  the 
Commissioners  of  Public  Works  and  their 
respective  Departments.  Each  mayor  in 
his  turn  has  advanced  the  Plan  of 
Chicago. 

The  City  Council,  during  each  of  these 
administrations,  has  sensed  the  needs  of 
the  city  and  has  whole-heartedly  co- 
operated with  the  Plan  Commission  by 
taking  favorable  action  on  the  recom- 
mendations which  we  have  submitted 
to  it. 

Permit  me  a  word  of  appreciation  also 
for  the  cooperative  spirit  displayed  by 
all  the  employees  of  every  public  body 
who  have  been  engaged  at  any  time  on 
Chicago  Plan  projects. 

We  have  had  the  unswerving  support 
of  every  newspaper  in  Chicago  without 
exception  and  without  interruption  for 


seventeen  years,  and  this  includes  the 
foreign  language  press.  This  has  been  of 
inestimable  value  to  the  advancement  of 
our  work,  and  without  it  I  venture  to 
say  little  could  have  been  accomplished. 
I  have  already  remarked  that  favorable 
public  opinion  is  indispensable  to  the 
success  of  our  efforts,  and  it  is  owing  in 
large  part  to  the  kind  of  support  which 
we  have  received  from  the  Chicago  press 
editorially  and  otherwise  that  we  won 
public  confidence  early  in  our  course  and 
that  we  enjoy  it  today. 

The  women  of  Chicago  deserve  espe- 
cial commendation.  They  gave  us  en- 
couragement even  before  the  men  did, 
and  in  everything  that  the  Plan  Com- 
mission has  recommended,  the  women  of 
this  city — individually  and  through  their 
organizations — have  stood  solidly  behind 
our  efforts  to  improve  conditions  here. 

Labor,  too,  has  always  effectively  and 
continuously  supported  the  work  we 
have  undertaken  to  do. 

Our  headquarters — for  four  years  in 
the  Hotel  LaSalle,  and  for  the  past  ten 
years  in  the  Hotel  Sherman — are  and 
always  have  been  open  to  any  one  at 
any  time.  It  is  a  cardinal  principle  with 
us  to  give  everyone  a  full  hearing  on  any 
matter  he  wishes  to  present,  and  to  treat 
everyone  transacting  business  with  our 
headquarters,  with  the  same  courtesy 
and  consideration. 

I  wish  to  express  my  appreciation  of 
the  civic  spirit  displayed  by  the  two 
hotels  in  providing  the  Plan  Commission 
with  free  space  for  its  headquarters. 

I  should  think  myself  very  unfeeling 
if  I  did  not  here  publicly  express  my  deep 
sense  of  gratitude  to  all  those  who  have 
so  materially  assisted  me  in  our  Chicago 
Plan  endeavors,  and  to  the  people  who 
by  their  favorable  vote  on  bond  issues, 
have  made  progress  possible.  In  every 
branch  of  the  work  I  have  had  the  most 
cordial  and  effective  cooperation  from  all 
those  associated  with  me.  I  desire  to  em- 
phasize that  I  have  been  backed  up  and 
encouraged  by  men  not  only  of  great 
loyalty,  but  also  of  enthusiasm  and  abil- 
ity. During  the  seventeen  years  that  I 
have  been  chairman  of  the  Chicago  Plan 
Commission,  very  few  changes  have  been 
made  in  the  personnel  of  the  organiza- 
tion, and  at  no  time  have  I  ever  found  it 
necessary  to  urge  it  to  greater  efforts. 


21 


I  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  vice-chair- 
man Frank  I.  Bennett,  who  was  my  inti- 
mate associate  in  this  work  from  the 
beginning,  November  4,  1909,  until  his 
death  on  December  20,  1925.  He  served 
without  compensation  of  any  sort,  as  do 
all  the  members  of  the  Plan  Commission, 
its  executive  committee,  and  its  officers. 
Mr.  Bennett's  experience  in  public  and 
private  affairs  qualified  him  admirably 
to  be  an  officer  of  the  Plan  Commission. 
You  all  know  the  devotion,  sagacity, 
and  skill  with  which  this  fine  modest 
gentleman  discharged  the  duties  of  his 
office.  In  his  passing  not  only  I,  but  the 
Chicago  Plan  Commission  lost  our  wisest 
counselor,  and  the  city  and  state  a  dis- 
tinguished and  unselfish  public  servant. 

Next  I  wish  to  express  my  thanks  to 
Mr.  Henry  Barrett  Chamberlin,  whom 
we  were  fortunate  enough  to  have  serve 
us  as  secretary  of  the  Commission  from 
1909  to  1911,  when  he  resigned.  He  had 
much  to  do  with  effectively  launching 
and  shaping  the  work  of  the  newly 
organized  Plan  Commission. 

I  am  sorry  that  space  does  not  permit 
me  to  dwell  at  length  upon  the  qualities 
of  the  other  men  upon  whom  I  have 
depended  for  aid  and  advice  during  the 
past  seventeen  years.  There  are  many 
federal,  state,  county,  city  and  other  offi- 
cials— many  groups,  organizations,  com- 
mittees and  individuals  whom  I  should 
like  to  mention  and  in  doing  so  to  tell 
what  each  did  for  the  Chicago  Plan,  but 
I  find  that  impossible  because  there  are 
so  many  of  them.  It  has  been  my  prac- 
tice during  the  past  seventeen  years  to 
acknowledge  personally  the  aid  of  indi- 
viduals at  the  time  it  was  given. 

In  1911,  we  engaged  Walter  D.Moody, 
then  general  manager  of  the  Chicago 
Association  of  Commerce,  as  our  man- 
aging director.  Mr.  Moody  brought 
with  him  from  the  same  organization, 
Mr.  Eugene  S.  Taylor,  our  present  effi- 
cient manager.  A  more  able,  zealous, 
idealistic,  enthusiastic  and  indefatigable 
worker  than  Walter  D.  Moody  could  not 
have  been  selected.  His  heart  and  soul 
were  in  his  work.  He  knew  no  hours. 
He  inspired  those  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact  with  enthusiasm,  a  quality 
vitally  necessary  in  bringing  to  fruition 
work  of  the  character  of  ours.  His  death 
in  1920  was  lamented  by  all. 


Mr.  Eugene  S.  Taylor,  with  nine 
years  of  practical  experience  back  of 
him,  with  a  remarkable  grasp  of  details, 
and  an  enthusiastic  love  for  his  work, 
became  the  logical  candidate  to  succeed 
Mr.  Moody.  He  was,  therefore,  ap- 
pointed manager,  and  the  wisdom  of 
this  choice  has  since  been  demonstrated 
by  the  conspicuous  achievements  of 
his  management. 

In  1921,  Miss  Helen  Whitehead  be- 
came a  member  of  the  headquarters 
staff.  We  soon  found  that  she  had  had 
an  unusually  well-rounded  education, 
and  that  the  work  laid  out  strongly 
appealed  to  her.  We  also  discovered 
that  her  previous  experience  enabled  her 
to  handle  with  tact,  ability  and  good 
judgment  the  many  people  who  are  con- 
tinually coming  to  our  office  for  infor- 
mation. Therefore,  I  appointed  her 
secretary  of  the  Commission,  knowing 
that  we  need  have  no  anxiety  with  re- 
gard to  her  ability  to  discharge  satis- 
factorily the  duties  of  that  position. 

The  manager  and  the  secretary  are 
our  entire  headquarters  staff,  and  I  am 
sure  that  the  amount  of  promotional 
work  which  is  turned  out  is  extraordi- 
narily large  in  proportion  to  the  size  of 
the  office  staff.  The  expenses,  too,  of  the 
Plan  Commission  have  been  kept  down 
to  a  minimum. 

Acknowledgment  of  the  aid  of  those 
who  have  collaborated  with  me  in  the 
work  of  the  Plan  Commission  referred 
to  above,  would  be  incomplete  without 
recognition  of  the  invaluable  assistance 
of  my  wife.  For  many  years  she  has 
been  my  trusted  and  sympathetic  co- 
worker in  the  Chicago  Plan  and  to  her 
counsel,  suggestions  and  encouragement 
I  am  indebted  more  than  I  can  ever 
express. 

We  are  called  upon  so  often  by  alder- 
men and  other  public  officials  and  muni- 
cipal and  other  governmental  authori- 
ties for  technical  data,  drawings  and 
information  that  we  found  it  necessary 
in  1920  to  establish  an  engineering 
department  which  is  now  located  in 
Room  1534  of  the  Burnham  Building. 

In  looking  about  for  someone  to  head 
our  engineering  staff,  we  concluded  that 
we  could  select  no  better  man  than 
Hugh  E.  Young,  then  engineer  of  bridge 


22 


design  for  the  city  of  Chicago.  I  found 
upon  investigation  that  his  abiHty  as  an 
engineer  was  generally  recognized  as  un- 
usual, that  his  honesty  and  integrity 
were  unquestioned,  and  that  his  person- 
ality eminently  fitted  him  for  our  work. 
In  checking  up  since  from  time  to  time 
to  learn  what  satisfaction  the  efforts  of 
our  representatives  were  giving,  I  have 
always  found  his  work  highly  com- 
mended. He  has  worked  in  close  co- 
operation with  our  consultant,  Mr.  E. 
H.  Bennett,  and  every  recommendation 
submitted  to  the  Plan  Commission  since 
his  appointment  has  had  his  approval 
and  that  of  Mr.  Bennett. 

It  is  indeed  fortunate  for  us  that 
Edward  H.  Bennett,  a  graduate  of 
L'Ecole  des  Beaux-Arts,  a  prominent 
member  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Architects,  and  Daniel  H.  Burnham's 
associate  in  the  preparation  of  the  origi- 
nal Chicago  Plan — has  been  and  still  is 
our  consultant,  and  that  he  has  so  able  a 
body  of  associates  as  is  comprised  in  the 
firm  of  Bennett,  Parsons  and  Frost. 
Mr.  William  E.  Parsons  was  associated 
with  Mr.  Burnham  in  laying  out  the 
plans  for  Manila,  P.  I.  Mr.  Harry  T. 
Frost  had  charge  of  preparing  the  plats 
and  drawings  used  in  the  preparation  of 
the  Chicago  Zoning  ordinance,  and  sub- 
sequent to  the  passage  of  the  ordinance 
he  has  served  as  secretary  of  the  Zoning 
Board  of  Appeals.  Mr.  Clarence  W. 
Farrier  of  Mr.  Bennett's  office  was  also 
associated  in  the  zoning  work,  and  is 
now  acting  as  secretary  of  the  Zoning 
Board  of  Appeals  during  Mr.  Frost's 
absence  from  Chicago. 

By  nature  and  training,  Mr.  Bennett 
is  pre-eminently  qualified  for  his  posi- 
tion. We  get  the  benefit  of  his  ability 
and  experience  in  the  Chicago  Plan  work, 
plus  the  benefit  of  the  knowledge  which 
he  has  accumulated  in  preparing  plans 
for  other  cities;  but  the  outstanding  rela- 
tionship between  the  Chicago  Plan  Com- 
mission and  our  consultant  is  the  entire 
confidence  which  we  are  justified  in 
having  in  the  opinions  which  he  and  his 
associates  have  rendered  on  matters  per- 
taining to  the  Chicago  Plan,  because  of 
his  ability,  independence,  integrity  and 
honesty  of  purpose. 

Although  we  have  no  regular  legal 
staff,  all  our  legal  work  has  been  handled 

*  Deceased.  23 


by  Mr.  Henry  P.  Chandler.  He  has  al- 
ways been  an  ardent  supporter  of  the 
Chicago  Plan,  and  he  rendered  most 
effective  service  in  Springfield  in  connec- 
tion with  the  legislation  changing  the 
basis  of  assessed  valuation,  required  in 
order  to  enable  Chicago  to  increase  its 
bonding  power.  Mr.  Chandler  has  often 
spoken  on  the  Chicago  Plan  and  in  other 
ways  has  given  spontaneous  and  gener- 
ous assistance,  of  which  I  have  always 
been  greatly  appreciative. 

To  the  members  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Plan  Commission  I  wish  to 
say  that  I  feel  deeply  grateful  for  the  in- 
valuable assistance  and  guidance  they 
have  always  so  cordially  given  me.  The 
men  who  have  served  on  this  committee 
and  those  who  are  now  serving  are  the 
following:  Adolphus  C.  Bartlett,*  Frank 
I.  Bennett,*  James  B.  Bowler,  Edward 
B.  Butler,  Clyde  M.  Carr,*  Anton  J. 
Cermak,  John  J.  Coughlin,  Frederic  A. 
Delano,  William  E.  Dever,  Winfield  P. 
Dunn,  John  V.  Farwell,  Albert  J.  Fisher, 
Milton  J.  Foreman,  Andrew  J.  Graham,* 
Richard  C.  Hall,  Dennis  A.  Horan,  Ed- 
ward J.  Kaindl,  William  D.  Kerfoot,* 
Joseph  O.  Kostner,*  Theodore  K.  Long, 
Joseph  B.  McDonough,  Dr.  J.  B.  McFat- 
rich,*  Joy  Morton,  William  R.  O'Toole, 
William  Nelson  Pelouze,  John  Powers, 
Peter  Reinberg,*  John  A.  Richert,  Julius 
Rosenwald,  John  F.  Smulski,  Bernard 
W.  Snow,  Daniel  J.  Schuyler,  U.  S. 
Schwartz,  James  Simpson,  Francis  W. 
Taylor,*  Charles  H.  Thorne,  John 
Toman,  Harvey  T.  Weeks,*  Harry  A. 
Wheeler,  William  A.  Wieboldt,  Walter 
H.  Wilson,  Ross  A.  Woodhull,  and 
Michael  Zimmer. 

The  vision  and  imagination  of  our 
technical  experts  have  been  put  to  the 
test  of  the  practical  knowledge  and  ex- 
perience of  these  very  successful  men — ■ 
men  of  broad  vision  and  public  spirit 
many  of  whom  are  nationally  known  and 
some  of  them  internationally.  As  a  re- 
sult the  improvements  recommended  by 
the  executive  committee  have,  without 
exception,  met  the  approval  of  this  splen- 
did Commission,  the  members  of  which  I 
wish  to  thank  sincerely  for  the  staunch 
manner  in  which  they  have  always  stood 
behind  Chicago  Plan  work.  This  is  a 
true  example  of  cooperation  of  effort 
crystallized  in  unity  of  action. 

To  the  men  and  women  of  Chicago 


who  have  supported  Chicago  Plan  pro- 
jects with  their  votes  upon  every  oppor- 
tunity I  wish  to  oflfer  my  heartfelt 
thanks,  and  to  say  that  as  a  citizen  of 
Chicago  who  has  helped  to  develop  the 
Plan  of  Chicago  from  its  inception,  I 
have  the  utmost  faith  in  the  civic  am- 
bitions and  the  civic  idealism  of  the  aver- 
age Chicago  man  and  woman. 

I  wish  now  to  suggest  that  in  addition 
to  completing  the  improvements  in  the 
Chicago  Plan  which  are  now  under  way, 
there  are  certain  other  important  ele- 
ments which  I  feel  should  be  realized 
without  delay.  Many  of  the  projects  I 
shall  touch  upon  have  already  been 
studied  by  our  staff. 

1.  When  the  Plan  Commission  was 
created  it  was  specified  that  one  of  its 
duties  should  be  to  produce  a  plan  which 
might  be  officially  adopted  by  the  city. 
It  is  my  belief  that  we  have  now  pro- 
gressed to  the  point  where  such  a  plan 
can  properly  be  worked  out  and  sub- 
mitted to  the  City  Council  for  official 
adoption,  in  order  as  far  as  possible  to 
prevent  the  construction  of  buildings 
which  would  encroach  upon  Plan  im- 
provements and  increase  the  expense  and 
difficulties  of  realizing  them. 

2.  Work  should  be  pushed  with  the 
utmost  speed  upon  our  major  street  plan ; 
a  plan  for  the  improvement  of  our  prin- 
cipal, or  major,  arteries  of  traffic,  which 
will  form  part  of  the  official  plan.  This 
is  very  important  in  connection  with  a 
regional  plan  for  the  Chicago  district, 
because  of  the  relationship  between  city 
streets  and  country  roads. 

3.  Steps  should  be  taken  to  hasten  the 
adoption  by  the  city  authorities  of  the 
through-traffic  street  plan  submitted  to 
the  City  Council  last  December  (1925). 
This  is  a  plan  providing  forty-four 
through  routes  from  end  to  end  of  the 
city  in  all  directions.  All  it  requires  in 
order  to  function  is  paving  and  repairing 
a  small  number  of  thoroughfares,  mark- 
ing each  route,  placing  "stop"  signs  at 
street  intersections,  and  providing  "stop- 
and-go"  signals  at  important  crossings. 
It  would  be  one  of  the  least  expensive 
measures,  and  yet  one  of  the  most  effec- 
tive, that  Chicago  could  take  to  improve 
street  traffic  conditions. 

4.  Aviation  has  been  developed  since 


the  Chicago  Plan  was  formulated,  but 
provision  for  aviation  facilities  has  been 
subsequently  included  in  the  Plan.  The 
Plan  now  provides  for  flying  fields  both 
inland  and  upon  the  lake  shore  to  en- 
courage aviation  and  meet  its  needs.  I 
desire  to  express  my  belief  that  there  will 
be  a  great  development  of  aviation  for 
commercial  purposes  in  the  next  twenty- 
five  years,  and  that  Chicago  should  pre- 
pare early  to  secure  its  proper  share  of 
this  traffic. 

Therefore,  the  provision  for  aviation 
fields  to  which  I  have  referred  and  which 
I  am  informed  is  considered  adequate  by 
competent  authorities,  should  be  pressed 
to  execution.  Chicago  should  be  ready 
with  facilities,  not  merely  on  paper,  but 
actually  existing,  to  meet  the  increase  in 
aeroplanes  for  commercial  use,  which  is 
sure  to  come.  Because  of  its  geographi- 
cal location  Chicago  is  the  natural  center 
for  airplane  traffic  as  it  is  for  railroads, 
and  we  must  not  lose  this  advantage  of 
location  by  failure  to  furnish  suitable 
facilities. 

5.  The  last  trip  of  inspection  which 
Vice-Chairman  Frank  I.  Bennett  and  I 
took  before  his  death,  was  over  the  route 
of  the  200-foot-wide  super-highway  which 
he  had  proposed — a  project  which  can  be 
realized  by  the  improvement  of  South 
Park  Avenue  and  Indiana  Avenue  from 
Washington  Park  to  the  southern  city 
limits.  (See  map  on  page  25.)  This 
route  will  give  direct  and  conveni- 
ent access  to  the  heart  of  the  city  to 
traffic  entering  Chicago  from  the  south 
and  southeast,  including  traffic  to  and 
from  such  important  communities  as 
Chicago  Heights,  Hammond,  Gary,  East 
Chicago,  Steger,  Flossmoor,  Homewood, 
Markham,  Harvey,  and  Blue  Island. 
Ten  thoroughfares  of  interstate  and  na- 
tional importance,  including  the  prin- 
cipal highways  to  and  from  the  East  and 
South  (such  as  the  Lincoln  and  Dixie 
Highways),  converge  at  the  south  end 
of  this  improvement  near  the  city 
limits.  Under  no  circumstances  should 
the  South  Park  Avenue  improvement 
be  of  less  width  than  South  Park- 
way between  23rd  Street  and  Wash- 
ington Park — 198  feet — because  it  will 
have  to  carry  the  combined  traffic  of 
these  ten  highways.  It  will  also  be  one 
of  the  most  important  routes  in  the  city 
for  the  reason  that  through-bound  traffic 


24 


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will  find  it  convenient  to  pass  through 
Chicago  along  the  desirable  lake  shore 
route  which  South  Park  Avenue,  in  con- 
nection with  the  lake  front  drives  and 
Sheridan  Road,  will  afford.  Therefore  it 
would  be  an  egregious  mistake  to  create 
a  "choke  in  the  bottle,"  at  any  point 
along  the  route.  Our  technical  staff  has 
given  this  project  much  study  and  is 
about  ready  to  submit  its  joint  report. 
In  my  opinion  it  should  be  one  of  the 
next  things  recommended  by  the  Chi- 
cago Plan  Commission. 

6.  We  have  suffered  a  temporary  set- 
back in  the  plan  to  widen  Kimball  Ave- 
nue to  86  feet  between  Palmer  Square 
and  the  proposed  connection  of  Kimball 
Avenue  (extended)  with  McCormick 
Road  at  Devon  Avenue.  Nevertheless  I 
feel  that  the  Commission  should  renew 
its  efforts  to  develop  this  street  into  a 
main  route  between  the  West  Side  park 
and  boulevard  systems,  the  North  Side 
and  the  north  shore  suburbs — provided 
it  is  connected  with  McCormick  Road. 
Complete  reports  and  plans  of  this  im- 
provement are  on  file  in  this  office.  The 
Kimball  Avenue-McCormick  Road  route 
will  greatly  relieve  congestion  on  Sheri- 
dan Road,  as  it  will  divert  traffic  now 
entering  Chicago  from  the  north  and 
northwest  over  such  important  highways 
as  Lincoln  Avenue,  Peterson  Avenue, 
Devon  Avenue,  and  the  like;  and  will 
enable  this  traffic  to  make  a  direct  con- 
nection with  the  West  Side  boulevard 
system.  The  rapidly  growing  Northwest 
Side  is  in  great  need  of  a  through  north- 
and-south  traffic  artery.  For  this  pur- 
pose no  other  street  is  so  strategically 
located  as  Kimball  Avenue  (see  map  on 
page  27),  which  extends  through  the 
center  of  this  area  and  which  is,  more- 
over, the  only  through  north-and-south 
street  without  a  street  car  line  upon  it 
between  Sheridan  Road  on  the  east  and 
the  western  city  limits.  This  improve- 
ment would  provide  the  needed  through- 
street  facilities  at  less  expense  than  they 
could  be  provided  by  widening  Mil- 
waukee Avenue,  Lincoln  Avenue,  or 
Clark  Street.  If  the  people  of  this  dis- 
trict only  realized  the  importance  of 
this  improvement  they  would  demand 
immediate  action.  This  is  an  improve- 
ment which  will  have  to  be  made  some 
day.    Delay  means  added  cost. 

7.  Another  much  needed  improve- 
ment is  the  development  of  a  high-level 


speedway  in  line  with  Avondale  Avenue 
from  Milwaukee  Avenue  and  the  North- 
west Highway  at  the  northwestern  city 
limits  to  the  loop,  parallel  to  the  Chicago 
and  North  Western  tracks,  and  with  a 
supplemental  connection  to  Michigan 
Avenue  and  the  outer  lake  front  drive 
(Lake  Shore  Drive)  parallel  to  and  at 
some  distance  north  of  the  main  channel 
of  the  Chicago  River.  (See  map  on 
page  27.)  This  route  will  relieve  traffic 
congestion  on  Milwaukee  Avenue  and 
will  furnish  a  direct,  high-level  connec- 
tion uninterrupted  by  cross  traffic,  be- 
tween the  downtown  district  of  Chicago 
and  the  northwestern  limits  of  the  city 
where  eight  important  country  high- 
ways converge.  Connections  with  the 
normal  street  system  will  be  provided  at 
intervals  of  approximately  a  mile,  and 
have  been  so  planned  that  left-hand  turns 
will  not  be  necessary.  Avondale  Avenue 
developed  as  proposed  will  have  a  capa- 
city equal  to  that  of  seven  of  the  ordinary 
66-foot  streets,  and  thus  will  be  able  to 
care  for  the  traffic  from  the  county  high- 
ways with  which  it  will  connect.  This 
improvement  would  serve  as  an  object 
lesson  and  would  be  certain  to  lead  to 
similar  improvements  where  like  condi- 
tions exist. 


8.  The  plans  for  the  proposed  Outer 
Drive  connection  between  Grant  Park 
and  Lake  Shore  Drive  have  been  care- 
fully worked  out  by  our  technical  staff 
and  will  be  submitted  to  the  Plan  Com- 
mission at  its  next  meeting.  (See  map 
on  Page  25.)  The  matter  was  submitted 
to  the  people  at  the  election  on  Novem- 
ber 2,  1926,  when  public  approval  of  the 
issuance  of  bonds  to  carry  out  the  pro- 
ject was  asked.  The  completion  of  this 
section  of  the  outer  drive  will  provide  a 
continuous  route,  uninterrupted  by  cross 
traffic,  from  Lincoln  Park  south  into 
Grant  Park  and  thence  to  a  connection 
with  South  Parkway  at  23rd  Street.  This 
route  will  take  about  20,000  vehicles  a 
day  off  Michigan  Avenue  and  will  pro- 
vide facilities  for  the  future  growth  of 
vehicular  traffic. 

9.  I  foresee  that  it  will  not  be  long 
before  this  outer  drive  will  have  to  be 
supplemented  by  extending  McClurg 
Court  south  from  Ohio  Street  across  the 
river  and  the  Illinois  Central  property  to 
Randolph  Street,  where   the  extension 


36 


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27 


will   connect   with    the   outer   drive   in 
Grant  Park. 

10.  An  important  plan  for  traffic  relief 
and  one  upon  which  our  technicians  have 
done  considerable  work  is  the  develop- 
ment of  an  80-mile-long  outer  circuit 
boulevard  around  the  city.  (See  map 
on  Page  29.)  This  circuit  boulevard 
should  have  a  width  of  at  least  150  feet. 
Its  course  will  include  Peterson  Avenue, 
Rogers  Avenue,  the  line  of  the  old  Indian 
Boundary,  Wolf  Road,  147th  Street, 
South  Park  Avenue,  the  outer  lake  front 
drive,  and  Sheridan  Road.  This  circuit 
will  have  the  same  relationship  to  the 
radial  highways  entering  and  leaving 
Chicago  that  the  already  established 
boulevard  system  connecting  the  North, 
West  and  South  Side  Parks  has  to  the 
interior  thoroughfares. 

11.  Our  staff  has  also  prepared  plans 
for  a  street  along  the  north  bank  of  the 
main  channel  of  the  Chicago  River,  har- 
monizing with  Wacker  Drive  along  the 
south  bank.  (See  map  on  Page  31.) 
Eventually  this  thoroughfare  along  the 
north  bank  of  the  river  is  to  extend  from 
the  outer  drive  (Lake  Shore  Drive)  west 
to  Canal  Street.  Its  western  section  will 
embody  an  improvement  provided  for  in 
the  Union  Station  ordinance,  and  one 
which  the  city  should  carry  out  without 
delay,  i.  e.,  a  high-level  connection  be- 
tween Orleans  Street  near  the  north  end 
of  the  Franklin-Orleans  Street  bridge, 
and  Canal  Street.  This  is  greatly  needed 
to  by-pass  through-bound  traffic  around 
the  congested  down-town  district,  and 
will  serve  the  important  purpose  of  con- 
necting the  West  and  North  Sides  with- 
out passing  through  the  loop.  Two  sec- 
tions of  the  north  bank  street  improve- 
ment— the  one  between  Rush  Street  and 
Dearborn  Street,  and  the  other  between 
the  north  branch  of  the  river  and  Wells 
Street — are  on  Chicago  and  North  West- 
ern Railway  Company  property,  and 
this  company  has  expressed  its  willing- 
ness to  co-operate  with  us  in  the  devel- 
opment of  the  proposed  improvement. 
At  the  present  time  there  are  few  ob- 
stacles in  the  path  of  this  improvement. 
Therefore  it  is  a  favorable  time  for  the 
Commission  to  consider  it  in  connection 
with  a  study  of  the  entire  district  be- 
tween the  river  and  Ohio  Street. 

12.  A  joint  report  from  the  technical 
staff,  covering  the  improvement  of  Persh- 


ing Road  (39th  Street)  from  the  edge  of 
Lake  Michigan  through  the  city  for  a 
distance  of  nine  miles  to  the  western  city 
limits,  is  about  ready.  (See  map  on 
Page  33.)  From  the  city  limits  the 
opening  of  this  street  west  to  the  forest 
preserves,  the  new  Zoological  Gardens, 
the  Joy  Morton  Arboretum,  and  on  to  a 
connection  with  Ogden  Avenue,  is  part 
of  Cook  County's  program  of  road  im- 
provement for  which  bonds  were  asked 
at  the  November  (1926)  election.  The 
plan  for  one  section  of  the  Pershing 
Road  improvement  (where  the  street  has 
been  closed  for  years),  is  ready  for  im- 
mediate action  by  the  Plan  Commission, 
after  which  it  can  be  laid  before  the 
municipal  authorities.  This  is  the  sec- 
tion between  Halsted  Street  and  Ashland 
Avenue  which,  when  opened,  will  create 
a  through  route  from  one  end  of  the  city 
to  the  other  and  will  serve  traffic  until 
such  time  as  the  widening  can  be  carried 
out.  This  section  should  be  among  the 
improvements  to  be  recommended  soon 
by  the  Plan  Commission.  The  complete 
Pershing  Road  improvement  will  be  one 
worthy  of  its  name.  Its  importance  is 
indicated  by  the  fact  that  there  is  no 
other  east-and-west  street  open  continu- 
ously through  the  city  between  22nd 
Street  on  the  north  and  63rd  Street  on 
the  south. 

13.  Another  matter  in  which  I  have 
taken  much  interest  is  the  plan  worked 
out  by  our  technical  staff  to  separate  the 
grades  of  Western  Avenue  and  Marshall 
Boulevard  at  31st  Street — across  the 
Sanitary  Canal,  the  Illinois  and  Michi- 
gan Canal,  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  Railroad's  right-of-way.  (See 
map  on  Page  34.)  So  far  we  have  been 
successful  in  inducing  all  except  two  of 
the  authorities  affected  to  agree  to  do 
their  share  in  carrying  out  this  plan.  I 
wish  to  recommend  that  the  effort  be  con- 
tinued to  bring  about  this  important 
improvement  as  soon  as  possible. 

14.  The  straightening  of  the  Chicago 
River  will  bring  with  it  the  opportunity 
to  open  a  number  of  streets,  both  east- 
and-west  and  north-and-south,  through 
the  square-mile  area  south  of  the  loop 
that  has  been  absorbed  by  railroad  occu- 
pancy for  so  many  years.  I  say  again 
here,  as  I  have  publicly  said  already,  that 
too  much  credit  cannot  be  given  to  the 
Citizens'  Committee  on  River  Straight- 


28 


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29 


ening  for  the  splendid  results  it  accom- 
plished in  working  with  the  city  and  the 
railroad  officials.  This  again  demon- 
strates the  splendid  results  which  can 
be  accomplished  by  close  cooperation 
between  the  public  and  private  interests. 
General  plans  showing  the  possibilities  of 
street  development  in  the  south  side  ter- 
minal district  have  been  drawn,  but  these 
plans  cannot  be  completed  in  detail  until 
it  is  definitely  known  where  and  what 
kind  of  railway  terminal  development 
will  take  place  in  this  area.  One  street, 
however,  figured  in  the  agreement  be- 
tween the  city  and  the  various  railroad 
companies  involved  in  straightening  the 
river.  This  is  Market  Street-Franklin 
Street  (merged,  because  of  the  course  of 
the  river),  which  is  to  be  extended  108 
feet  wide  through  the  terminal  area. 

Another  street  which  should  be  given 
careful  consideration  in  connection  with 
the  South  Side  terminal  development 
plan,  is  Polk  Street.  Polk  Street  at  the 
present  time  is  open  at  the  normal  street 
level  from  State  Street  west  to  Wells 
Street.  Here  there  is  an  offset,  on  ac- 
count of  the  fact  that  between  Canal 
Street  and  Wells  Street  Polk  Street  is 
carried  on  a  viaduct  which  makes  a 
right-angle  turn  at  Wells  Street  in  order 
to  get  down  to  normal  street  level.  The 
width  of  Polk  Street  varies  considerably. 
Between  State  and  Dearborn  Streets  it  is 
86  feet  wide;  between  Dearborn  and 
Clark  Streets,  90  feet ;  and  between  Clark 
Street  and  the  south  branch  of  the  Chi- 
cago River,  only  40  feet.  The  viaduct 
between  the  river  and  Canal  Street  has 
been  widened  to  80  feet,  and  proceedings 
are  now  under  way  to  widen  Polk  Street 
to  80  feet  between  Canal  and  Halsted 
Streets.  West  of  Halsted  Street  Polk 
Street  is  open  at  a  width  of  66  feet 
nearly  to  the  western  city  limits.  There- 
fore the  street  lends  itself  to  improve- 
ment all  the  way  west  through  the  city 
and  adjacent  suburbs  to  a  connection 
with  the  county  exterior  highways. 

Polk  Street  is  little  used  today 
throughout  most  of  its  length,  but  it 
is  so  situated  that  a  proper  improvement 
would  supply  a  greatly  needed  east-and- 
west  street  through  the  city  from  one 
end  to  the  other  and  making  contacts 
with  the  proposed  railway  terminals 
along  part  of  its  route. 


15.  As  yet  no  adequate  memorial  to 
Mr.  Burnham  has  been  provided.  The 
unceasing  effort  of  this  Commission  (by 
resolution  and  otherwise),  to  have  the 
new  lake  front  park  now  being  built  by 
the  South  Park  Commissioners  named 
"Burnham  Park,"  has  not  been  success- 
ful. I  should  like  to  urge  the  Commis- 
sion to  endeavor  again  to  have  this  park 
named  as  first  suggested  in  a  resolution 
adopted  by  the  Commission  on  July  16, 
1912,  shortly  after  Mr.  Burnham's  death. 

16.  It  must  be  patent  to  everybody 
that  with  our  constant  increase  in  popu- 
lation, in  building,  and  in  the  number 
of  vehicles  in  the  city — ^traffic  in  the 
downtown  district  (from  North  Avenue 
to  22nd  Street,  and  from  Lake  Michigan 
to  Halsted  Street),  is  steadily  becoming 
more  congested.  Every  obstacle  to  the 
easy  flow  of  traffic  in  this  section  should 
be  removed,  and  this  means  that  the 
street  car  tracks  should  be  removed  from 
the  normal  street  level  in  so  far  as  is 
possible.  Before  this  can  be  done,  how- 
ever, a  very  careful  study  should  be 
made  to  determine  the  most  practical 
way  of  facilitating  this  traffic  and  to 
consider  the  possibilities  of  accomplish- 
ing this  end  overhead  or  underground, 
by  subways  or  double-level  streets,  or 
by  a  combination  of  both. 

17.  It  seems  to  me  also  that  within 
this  same  district  galleries  should  be  pro- 
vided for  the  public  utilities,  so  that  our 
streets  need  not  forever  be  torn  up  on 
account  of  repairs,  changes,  and  exten- 
sions to  the  gas,  water,  telephone,  elec- 
tric light,  and  other  facilities. 

18.  May  I  take  this  occasion,  too,  to 
reiterate  my  often  expressed  hope  that 
the  street  improvements  in  the  district 
bounded  by  Harrison  Street,  Roosevelt 
Road,  Canal  Street,  and  Halsted  Street 
may  be  pushed  to  early  completion. 
There  are  five  of  these  improvements  and 
they  are  all  in  court.  Property  in  this 
district  used  to  be  of  very  low  value,  but 
values  have  risen  to  a  marked  degree  in 
anticipation  of  these  improvements,  since 
they  will  enable  that  area  to  develop  into 
a  commercial  and  warehouse  district  of 
the  first  magnitude. 

19.  I  hope  likewise  that  the  Plan 
Commission  will  agitate  the  develop- 
ment of  a  boulevard  along  the  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan  from  Chicago  all  the  way 
to  Milwaukee,  and  that  all  the  cities 


30 


31 


affected  will  cooperate  wholeheartedly  in 
such  a  movement. 

20.  In  designing  Wacker  Drive  it  was 
realized  that  a  splendid  opportunity  for 
artistic  embellishment  of  a  notable  char- 
acter existed  in  connection  with  the  large 
plaza  formed  at  the  Wabash  Avenue  in- 
tersection. Therefore  I  took  the  matter 
up  with  the  trustees  of  the  Ferguson 
Fund,  the  secretary  of  which  informed 
me  that  the  trustees  were  very  much  in- 
terested in  the  proposal  to  erect  some 
type  of  monument  at  this  intersection, 
that  they  had  given  instructions  to  list 
this  site  for  a  future  monument,  and 
that  they  would  be  glad  to  have  sug- 
gestions as  to  the  historic  event  which 
might  be  commemorated  by  a  monu- 
ment on  this  site.  I  accordingly  con- 
ferred^with  the  Chicago  Historical  So- 
ciety, which  suggested  seven  historical 
subjects  for  consideration,  whereupon  I 


referred  them  to  the  trustees  of  the 
Ferguson  Fund.  This  is  a  matter  which 
I  feel  the  Plan  Commission  might  prop- 
erly follow  up  until  an  appropriate 
work  of  art  has  been  assured  for  this 
plaza. 

In  conclusion  may  I  say  that  there  is 
great  inspiration  for  those  who  are  today 
engaged  in  the  work  of  improving  Chi- 
cago, in  a  look  backward  over  the  city's 
history.  I  earnestly  urge  each  and  every 
citizen  to  respond  to  this  inspiration,  be- 
cause he  will  derive  from  it  a  stimulus  to 
great  efforts  for  the  future.  As  he  looks 
back  he  will  see  examples  of  united  effort, 
permeated  by  a  faith  in  the  destiny  of 
the  city  which  has  never  swerved.  If  the 
spirit  of  1871  and  1893  animates  the 
younger  generation,  then  we  old  war 
horses  may,  as  we  depart,  confidently 
entrust  to  the  shoulders  of  our  sons  the 
burdens  we  have  borne. 


Respectfully  submitted, 


32 


(See  page  28) 

33 


CHlC\CO  PLAN  COMMlVJOiN 

VEiyXElC/l  BOULENARD 
IMPKVLMLNT 

JJWf  JVCTWK,  POOPCVTD 

C£ACL  jrS»a^\0/i  AT  THE 

I  AAID  M  CAAiAU  ACV  BEDGL/CWEE 

THE.  .^VHTAITt' CAnaL ,  A/©  VDCAfl^; 

or  THE  RAlLVAr»AJB^«i' 


(See  page  28) 


Chicago  Plan  Commission 

Room  F,  Hotel  Sherman 

TELEPHONE  FRANKLIN  2100 


ROSTER  OF  MEMBERS 


OFFICERS 

Mayor  William  E.  Dever Honorary  President  ex-officio 

Charles  H.  Wacker Chairman 


Eugene  S.  Taylor.  Manager. 
Helen  Whitehead,  Secretary. 


E.  H.  Bennett,  Consultant. 
Hugh  E.  Young,  Engineer. 


Charles  H.  Wacker,  Chairman 
Edward  B.  Butler 
John  J.  Coughlin.  Aid. 
Frederic  A.  Delano 
John  V.  Farwell 
Albert  J.  Fisher 
D.  A.  Horan.  Aid. 
Edward  J.  Kaindl,  Aid. 


EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE 

Theodore  K.  Long 

Joseph  B.  McDonough,  Aid. 

Joy  Morton 

Wm.  R.  O'Toole,  Aid. 

Wm.  N.  Pelouze 

John  Powers,  Aid. 

Julius  Rosenwald 

Daniel  J.  Schuyler 


James  Simpson 
John  F.  Smulski 
Charles  H.  Thome 
Harry  A.  Wheeler 
Walter  H.  Wilson 
Ross  A.  Woodhull,  Aid. 
Michael  Zimmer 


ABBOTT.  W.  R. 

212  W.  Washington  St. 
ADAMKEWICZ,  STANLEY,  ALD. 

1029  Milwaukee  Ave. 
ADAMOWSKI.  MAX.  ALD. 

2812  FuUerton  Ave. 
ALBERT,  ARTHUR  F.,  ALD. 

1938  N.  Halsted  St. 
AM  BERG,  WALTER  ARNOLD 

116.  29  S.  La  Salle  St. 
ANDERSON,  LOUIS  B..  ALD. 

2821  Wabash  Ave. 
ARMOUR,  J.  OGDEN 

208  S.  La  Salle  St. 
ARVEY.  JACOB  M..  ALD. 

1337  Independence  Blvd. 
AUSTRIAN.  ALFRED  S. 

208  S.  La  Salle  St. 
BAKER.  ALFRED  L. 

141  S.  La  Salle  St. 
BAMBAS.  JAMES  F. 

2346  S.  Kedzie  Ave. 
BARBEE.  ROBERT  E..  ALD. 

6910  Went  worth  Ave. 
BARDONSKI.  V. 

1256  Noble  St. 
BARNES.  CLIFFORD  W. 

10  S.  La  Salle  St. 
BARTLETT,  FREDERICK  H. 

69  W.  Washington  St. 
BEIDLER,  GEORGE 

40  N.  Dearborn  St. 
BERLIN,  ROBERT  C. 

19  S.  La  Salle  St. 
BILLINGS,  DR.  FRANK 

1550  N.  State  Parkway 
BOEHM,  JOHN  J. 

1901  S.  Halsted  St. 
BOND.  WILLIAM  A. 

25  N.  Dearborn  St. 
BOUTELL.  FRANCIS  L.,  ALD. 

134  S.  La  Salle  St. 
BOWLER.  THOMAS  J..  ALD. 

5048  Addison  St. 
BOYLE,  JAMES  T. 

847  Larrabee  St. 
BRIESKE,  LEO  M..  ALD. 

3037  Lincoln  Ave. 
BRITTAIN.  JOSEPH  K. 

35  N.  Dearborn  St. 
BROOKS.  ROBERT  E.  L. 

10101  Ewing  Ave. 


BROWN.  EVERETT  C. 

57-59  Exchange  Bldg. 
BRYANT.  EDWARD  F. 

Pullman  Trust  &  Savings  Bank 
BUDINGER.  JOHN 

2449  Wentworth  Ave. 
BUDLONG,  JOSEPH  J. 

184  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
BUNDESEN.  DR.  H.  N. 

Commissioner  of  Health,  City  Hall 
BURNHAM,  DANIEL  H. 

160  N.  La  Salle  St. 
BUSCH.  FRANCIS  X. 

Corporation  Counsel,  City  Hall 
BUTLER,  EDWARD  B. 

Randolph  Street  Bridge 
BYRNE.  THOS.  F..  ALD. 

6743  S.  Irving  Ave. 
CARPENTER,  BENJAMIN 

430  N.  Wells  St. 
CARROLL.  JOHN  A. 

5300  Lake  Park  Ave. 
CARRY.  EDWARD  F. 

Pullman  Building 
CARSON.  E.  B. 

208  S.  La  Salle  St. 
CEPAK,  JOSEPH,  ALD. 

2813  S.  Spaulding  Ave. 
CERMAK,  ANTON  J.,  President  County  Board 

3347  W.  26th  St. 
CERVENKA.  JOHN  A. 

2438  S.  Lawndale  Ave. 
CHAMBERLIN,  HENRY  BARRETT 

21  N.  La  Salle  St. 
CHANDLER.  HENRY  P. 

30  N.  La  Salle  St. 
CHAP.  IGNATIUS 

555  W.  31st  St. 
CLARK, SHELDON 

332  S.  Michigan  Ave. 
CLARK.  JOHN  S..  ALD. 

215  S.  Cicero  Ave. 
CLARKSON,  RALPH 

410  S.  Michigan  Ave. 
CLOIDT.  FRANK  X. 

175  W.Jackson  Blvd. 
CLOW.  WILLIAM  E. 

534  S.  Franklin  St. 
COHEN,  EDWARD 

East  End  Park  Hotel 
CONNERY.  J.  T. 

McCormick  Bldg. 


35 


CONNERY,  JOSEPH  F. 

740,  230  S.  Clark  St. 
CONROY.  JOHN  J. 

5540  S.  Racine  Ave. 
COONLEY,  HENRY  E. 

II  S.  La  Salle  St. 
COUGHLIN,  JOHN  J.,  ALD. 

1 7  N.  La  Salle  St. 
CRONSON,  BERTHOLD  A.,  ALD. 

4603  Woodlawn  Ave. 
CROSS.  ERNEST  M.,  ALD. 

10200  Avenue  L. 
CROWE,  ALBERT  J. 

S13  Chamber  of  Commerce  Bldg. 
CROWE,  DORSEY  R..  ALD. 

66  W.  Oak  St. 
CUNEO,  LAWRENCE 

1200  W.  ISth  St. 
DASSO.  PAUL 

814  N.  Harding  Ave. 
DAVIS,  ABEL 

69  W.  Washington  St. 
DAWES,  CHARLES  G. 

125  W.  Monroe  St. 
DEFREES,  JOSEPH  H. 

105  S.  La  Salle  St. 
DELANO,  FREDERIC  A. 

Hibbs  Bldg.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
DEUTHER,  TOMAZ  F. 

1152  N.  Ashland  Ave. 
DEVER.  HON.  WM.  E. 

5901  Kenmore  Ave. 
DICKINSON,  J.  M..  JR. 

231  S.  La  Salle  St. 
DIXON,  GEORGE  W. 

425  S.  Wells  St. 
DONNELLEY,  THOMAS  E. 

731  Plymouth  Court 
DUNNE,  EDWARD  F. 

538  The  Rookery 
DUPEE,  EUGENE  H. 

69  W.  Washington  St. 
DWEN,  ROBERT  G. 

8  E.  Huron  St. 
EATON,  CHAS.  S.,  ALD. 

7  S.  Dearborn  St. 
ECKHART,  BERNARD  A. 

1300  Carroll  Ave. 
ECKHART,  PERCY  B. 

38  S.  Dearborn  St. 
ERICSON,  JOHN  E. 

City  Engineer,  City  Hall 
FAHERTY,  MICHAEL  J. 

2735  Pine  Grove  Ave. 
FARLEY,  EDWARD  P. 

6  N.  Michigan  Ave. 
FARWELL,  JOHN  V. 

1137.  208  S.  La  Salle  St. 
FELIX,  BENJAMIN  B. 

340  W.  Huron  St. 
FICK.  HENRY  L.,  ALD. 

559  Roosevelt  Road 
FIELD.  STANLEY 

231  S.  La  Salle  St. 
FINN,  JOHN  C. 

9348  Cottage  Grove  Ave. 
FISHER,  ALBERT  J. 

7206  Princeton  Ave. 
FISHER,  WALTER  L. 

134  S.  La  Salle  St. 
FLYNN,  ALBERT  J. 

2440  Logan  Blvd. 
FOREMAN,  MILTON  J. 

38  S.  Dearborn  St. 
FOREMAN,  OSCAR  G. 

30  N.  La  Salle  St. 
FORGAN,  JAMES  B.,  JR. 

38  S.  Dearborn  St. 
FORGAN,  DAVID  R. 

134  S.  La  Salle  St. 
FOWLER,  W.  A. 

343  S.  Dearborn  St. 
FRANKHAUSER,  E.  I.,  ALD. 

5517  Winthrop  Ave. 
FREUND,  LOUIS  P. 

1656  Garfield  Blvd. 
FYFFE.  COLIN  C.  H..  Pres.  Public  Library  Board 

III  W.  Monroe  St. 
GALLAGHER,  THOMAS 

522  S.  Sangamon  St. 
GATZERT,  AUGUST 

4901  Greenwood  Ave. 
GETZ,  GEO.  F. 

332  S.  Michigan  Ave. 
GILLAN,  REV.  JOHN  C. 

2542  Wallace  St. 


GLACKIN,  EDWARD  J. 

Sec'y  Board  of  Local  Improvements 
745  Lytle  St. 
GLESSNER,  J.  J. 

606  S.  Michigan  Ave. 
GOODMAN,  MILTON  F. 

212  W.  Monroe  St. 
GORDON,  REV.  FRANCIS 

1825  N.  Wood  St. 
GOVIER,  SHELDON  W.,  ALD. 

11350  Forrestville  Ave. 
GRIESEMER,  CHARLES  J. 

329  N.  Lotus  Ave. 
GRUND,  CHARLES  H. 

3511  Archer  Ave. 
GUERNSEY,  GUY,  ALD. 

6044  Vernon  Ave. 
GUNTHER,  DR.  FR.ANK  E. 

1801  W.  35th  St. 
HAGEY,  DR.  HARRY  H. 

800  W.  78th  St. 
HALL.  RICHARD  C. 

209  S.  La  Salle  St. 
HARPER,  DR.  WM.  E. 

6541  Yale  Ave. 
HARRISON,  CARTER  H. 

2100  Lincoln  Park  West 
HARTKE,  EMIL  A. 

7742  N.  Paulina  St. 
HAUGAN.  HENRY  A. 

State  Bank  of  Chicago 
HEBEL.  OSCAR,  HON. 

1342  N.  Dearborn  St. 
HECHINGER,  C.  E. 

180  N.  Dearborn  St. 
HEISER,  A.  C. 

3535  Archer  Ave. 
HERLIHY,  DANIEL  J. 

2743  N.  Albany  Ave. 
HILL,  FREDERICK  A. 

5638  W.  Lake  St. 
HILL,  JOHN  W. 

1453  Monadnock  Block 
HINES,  EDWARD 

1324  Otis  Bldg. 
HOELLEN,  JOHN  J.,  ALD. 

1938  Irving  Park  Blvd. 
HOOKER,  GEORGE  E. 

800  S.  Halsted  St. 
HORAN,  ALBERT  J.,  ALD. 

3347  W.  Congress  St. 
HORAN,  DENNIS  A.,  ALD. 

1914  S.  Ashland  Ave. 
HRODEJ,  JOS.  T. 

1352  S.  Crawford  Ave. 
HRODY,  JOSEPH  T. 

208  W.  Madison  St. 
HULTIN,  N.  H. 

3176  N.  Clark  St. 
JACKSON,  DAVID  H. 

Pres.,  Lincoln  Park  Commissioners. 
Ill  W.  Monroe  St. 
JACKSON,  ROBERT  R.,  ALD. 

3300  S.  State  St. 
JANISZESKI,  FRANK  H. 

1373  W.  Chicago  Ave. 
JENSEN.  CHRIST  A.,  ALD. 

4226  N.  Sawyer  Ave. 
JOHNSON,  GEORGE  E.  Q. 

77  W.  Washington  St. 
JOHNSON,  NELS 

4401  W.  North  Ave. 
JUDD,  EDWARD  S. 

40  N.  Dearborn  St. 
KAINDL,  EDWARD  J.,  ALD. 

2600  W.  Chicago  Ave. 
KELLY,  EDWARD  J. 

President  South  Park  Commissioners 
910  S.  Michigan  Ave. 
KELLY,  JOHN 

Private  Secretary  to  the  Mayor,  City  Hall 
KILBOURNE,  L.  B. 

45  South  Water  Market 
KING.  LAWRENCE  F. 

President  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago 
910  S.  Michigan  Ave. 
KOCH,  FRANK  J. 

2603  S.  Halsted  St. 
KOHN,  W.  C. 

Concordia  Teachers'  College 
River  Forest,  111. 
KRABOL,  O.  O. 

1740  N.  Maplewood  Ave. 
KREUGER,  WILLIAM  F. 

2176  Canalport  Ave. 
KRUETGEN.  ERNEST  J. 

917  N.  Franklin  St. 
KRULEWITCH,  ERNEST 

709  Independence  Blvd. 


36 


KUNDE,  ERNEST 

2025  S.  Halsted  St. 
KUNSTMANN,  E.  J..  ALD. 

3611  S.  Wood  St. 
LA  MARRE.  REV.  JOSEPH  V. 

3836  S.  California  Ave. 
LAUB,  ALBERT 

2222  S.  Halsted  St. 
LEGNER,  WM.  G. 

S36  East  27th  St. 
LEININGER,  DR.  GEO. 

1856  W.  North  Ave. 
LE  TOURNEUX.  EDWARD  D. 

600  Blue  Island  Ave. 
LIPPS,  W.  F. 

2119  Touhy  Ave. 
LITSINGER.  EDWARD  R. 

Conway  Bldg. 
LITTLER,  H.  E. 

2505  N.  Washtenaw  Ave. 
LOESCHER,  ALBERT  E.,  ALD. 

2159  Lewis  St. 
LONG,  THEODORE  K. 

New  Bloomfield,  Pa. 
LEUDER,  ARTHUR  C.  Postmaster 

358  Federal  Bldg. 
LURYA,  ISAAC 

2301  S.  Crawford  Ave. 
LYNCH,  JOHN  A. 

134  S.  La  Salle  St. 
MAC  CHESNEY.  NATHAN  WILLIAM 

30  N.  La  Salle  St. 
MAC  VEAGH,  FRANKLIN 

333  W.  Lake  St. 
MAMEK,  GEO. 

1724  Racine  Ave. 
MAMER,  CHRISTOPHER 

501  Throop  St. 
MANG,  ALBERT  G. 

125  W.  Monroe  St. 
MARK,  CLAYTON 

Conway  Bldg. 
MAYPOLE,  GEORGE  M.,  ALD. 

3523  Fulton  St. 
McCORMICK.  HAROLD  F. 

606  S.  Michigan  Ave. 
McCULLOCH,  CHARLES  A. 

Ill  W.  Adams  St. 
McDONOUGH,  JOSEPH  B.,  ALD. 

551  W.  37th  St. 
McJUNKIN,  WM.  D. 

5  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
McKINLAY.  DONALD  S..  ALD. 

Conway  Bldg. 
MENDEL.  JOSEPH  A..  ALD. 

1424  W.  18th  St. 
MEYERING,  WM.  D.,  ALD. 

7341  Cottage  Grove  Ave. 
MEYEROVITZ.  DR.  M. 

3136  Douglas  Blvd. 
MILLS,  E.  EDWIN 

1440  S.  Racine  Ave. 
MILLS,  WILEY  W.,  ALD. 

19  S.  La  Salle  St. 
MITCHELL,  JOHN  J. 

Illinois  Merchants  Trust  Company 
MODERWELL.  CHARLES  M. 

332  S.  Michigan  Ave. 
MORAN,  TERENCE  F.,  ALD. 

5634  Ada  St. 
MORTON,  JOY 

717  Railway  Exchange  Bldg. 
MUELHOEFFER,  EDWARD 

1325  Clybourn  Ave. 
MULDOON.  JOHN  A. 

1201  W.  Lake  St. 
MURPHY.  J.  R. 

6107  Kenmore  Ave. 
NANCE.  DR.  WILLIS  O. 

1836  E.  72nd  St. 
NASH,  JOHN  S. 

6  N.  Clark  St. 
NELSON.  OSCAR  F.,  ALD. 

1725,  160  N.  La  Salle  St. 
NERING,  JOHN 

324  S.  La  Salle  St. 
NICHOLS,  CHARLES  F.  W. 

14  E.  Jackson  Blvd. 
NIMMONS,  GEO.  C. 

122  S.  Michigan  Ave. 
NOEL,  JOSEPH  R. 

1601  Milwaukee  Ave. 
NUSSER,  EUGENE  L..  ALD. 

3554  Dickens  Ave. 
O'BRIEN.  ARTHUR 

Mayor's  Office,  City  Hall 
O'BRIEN.  PETER  J. 

4  N.  Cicero  Ave. 
OLANDER,  VICTOR  A. 

166  W.  Waehington  St. 


OSTROWSKY.  HENRY 

3301  Douglas  Blvd. 
OSWIANZA,  ABRAHAM 

1834  S.  Central  Park  Ave. 
O'TOOLE,  WM.  R.,  ALD. 

1102  W.  55th  St. 
OTT,  HERMAN  A. 

3757  N.  Kostner  Ave. 
PAGE,  WALTER 

5942  Normal  Blvd. 
PALMER,  HONORS 

80  E.  Jackson  Blvd. 
PALT,  FRANK  J. 

3205  S.  Morgan  St. 
PELIKAN,  D. 

91  Cowley  Road,  Riverside,  111. 
PELOUZE,  WM.  NELSON 

232  E.  Ohio  St. 
PENDARVIS.  ROBERT  E. 

1018  Ashland  Block 
PETERSON.  WM.  A. 

1032,  30  N.  La  Salle  St. 
PETLAK,  JOSEPH,  ALD. 

1600  W.  North  Ave. 
PETRU.  FRANK  J. 

1441  W.  18th  St. 
PHELAN,  REV.  JOSEPH  E. 

St.  Anne's  Church 

55th  and  Wentworth  Ave. 
PHELPS,  CHARLES  A. 

519  First  National  Bank  Bldg. 
PONTOW.  WM.  H.,  ALD. 

1922  Summerdale  Ave. 
PORTER,  GEORGE  F. 

1009  First  National  Bank  Bldg. 
POTTER,  EDWIN  A. 

Guaranty  Trust  Co., 
New  York  City 
POWELL,  ISAAC  N. 

4649  Cottage  Grove  Ave. 
POWERS.  JOHN,  ALD. 

1284  Macalister  Place 
RAWSON,  F.  H. 

Union  Trust  Bldg. 
REHM,  WILLIAM  H. 

1525  Astor  St. 
REVELL,  ALEXANDER  H. 

141  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
REYNOLDS,  GEO.  M. 

Continental  &  Commercial  National  Bank 
RINGA,  FRANK  R.,  ALD. 

3400  N.  Lawndale  Ave. 
RINGLEY,  FRED  J. 

621  Plymouth  Court 
ROBERTSON.  DR.  JOHN  DILL 

President  West  Park  Board, 
3435  W.  Monroe  St. 
ROBINSON,  THEODORE  W. 

208  S.  La  Salle  St. 
ROESCH,  J.  ALBERT,  JR. 

129  S.  Jefferson  St. 
ROSENWALD,  JULIUS 

Horaan  and  Arthington  Aves. 
RYAN,  PATRICK  F..  ALD. 

7015  S.  Carpenter  St. 
RYERSON.  EDWARD  L.,  JR. 

2558  W.  16th  St. 
RYERSON,  MARTIN  A. 

134  S.  La  Salle  St. 
SCHIAVONE.  P. 

Halsted  and  Taylor  Sts. 
SCHULZ,  OTTO 

711  Milwaukee  Ave. 
SCHUYLER,  DANIEL  J. 

Illinois  Merchants  Bank  Bldg. 
SCHWARTZ,  CHARLES  P. 

79  W.  Monroe  St. 
SCOTT.  JOHN  W. 

366  W.  Adams  St. 
SEIF.  GEORGE.  ALD. 

1608  N.  California  Ave. 
SHANAHAN.  DAVID  E. 

115  S.  Dearborn  St. 
SHANAHAN,  DENIS  S. 

141  W.  Austin  Ave. 
SIEWERT.  HENRY  J. 

3865  Milwaukee  Ave. 
SILVERMAN,  LEWIS  J. 

920.  110  S.  Dearborn  St. 
SIMPSON.  JAMES 

219  W.  Adams  St. 
SINEK,  WM.  J. 

33  S.  Clark  St. 
SKALA,  FRANK  J. 

966-970  W.  18th  St. 
SKINNER.  EDWARD  M. 

528  S.  Wells  St. 


37 


SLOAN.  JOHN  J. 

President  Board  of  Local  Improvements, 
City  Hall 
SMITH.  JOS.  H..  ALD. 

2305  W.  Superior  St. 
SMULSKI.  JOHN  F. 

1201  Milwaukee  Ave. 
SPRAGUE.  ALBERT  A. 

Commissioner  of  Public  Works, 
City  Hall 
STAVER.  HARRY  B. 

12  W.  S5th  St. 
STROBEL.  CHARLES  L. 

1744  Monadnock  BIdg. 
STROM.  AXEL  A. 

6039  Sheridan  Road 
STUBE,  JOHN  H. 

1905  Morse  Ave. 
SUNNY.  BERNARD  E. 

212  W.  Washington  St. 
SWIFT,  EDWARD  F. 

Union  Stock  Yards 
SZYMANSKI,  WALENTY 

1907  Blue  Island  Ave. 
TAYLOR,  GRAHAM 

955  Grand  Ave. 
TEICH,  MAX  L. 

328  S.  Clark  St. 
THOMPSON,  CHARLES  F. 

332  S.  Michigan  Ave. 
THOMPSON.  JOHN  R. 

350  N.  Clark  St. 
THOMPSON.  JOHN  R.,  JR. 

350  N.  Clark  St. 
THOMPSON,  WILLIAM  HALE 

3200  Sheridan  Road 
THORNE.  CHAS.  H. 

30  N.  Michigan  Ave. 
TINSMAN.  HOMER  E. 

1350  First  National  Bank  Bldg. 
TOBIN,  T.  M. 

9332  South  Chicago  Ave. 
TOMAN.  JOHN.  ALD. 

4141  W.  21st  Place 


TOUHY,  JOHN  J..  ALD. 

1339  W.  Adams  St. 
TRAYLOR,  MELVIN  A. 

38  S.  Dearborn  St. 
VOPICKA,  CHARLES  J. 

3251  Washington  Blvd. 
WACKER,  CHARLES  H. 

2340  Commonwealth  Ave. 
WACKER.  FREDERICK  G. 

549  W.  Washington  St. 
WEHRWEIN.  A.  C. 

6129  Prairie  Ave. 
WETTEN,  EMIL  C. 

800,  108  S.  La  Salle  St. 
WHEELER.  HARRY  A. 

Union  Trust  Bldg. 
WIEBOLDT.  W.  A. 

Belden  Hotel 
WILDER.  JOHN  E. 

1038  Crosby  St. 
WILLIAMS,  DR.  J.  F. 

311  Center  St. 
WILLIAMS,  THOMAS 

3940  N.  Francisco  Ave. 
WILSON.  JOHN  P.,  ALD. 

3144  Lowe  Ave. 
WILSON,  WALTER  H. 

1166  The  Rookery 
WOODHULL,  ROSS  A.,  ALD. 

2116  E.  71st  St. 
WOOLLEY.  C.  F. 

2937  Archer  Ave. 
WRIGLEY.  PHILIP  K. 

400  N.  Michigan  Ave. 
ZANDER,  HENRY  G. 

27  W.  Washington  St. 
ZELEZNY,  JOHN  G. 

3856  W.  26th  St. 
ZIMMER,  MICHAEL 

Cook  County  Hospital 
ZIMMERMAN.  EARLE  J. 

3047  Carroll  Ave. 


Ik 


■  ii'i: 


DtC  3  1  1926 


JM0JS 


38 


1 

1 

1 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 
711.73C432W  C002  ^^^ 

ADDRESS  BY  CHARLES  H   WACKER  AT  A  MEETIN         ^^'^^^ 


